Such Is My Luck
by ImHereToReview
Summary: Bella's bad luck has landed her in Chicago for a business trip, with no luggage and no hotel room. Her co-worker, Edward, steps in to help! Her luck is about to change. AH. Canon pairings. Fluffy. Rated M for lemony goodness.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own Twilight… Stephenie Meyer DOES! **

**I don't own the characters… Stephenie Meyer does! **

**I do not own… OK… so you get the point.**

Chapter 1

BPOV

_Ugh! _Training. Out of town training_. More training!_

Business trips. They were a necessary part of my job. I loved them. I hated them. I loved them because they got me away from the office and my dull, lonely, single life. I hated them because I hated to travel. Scratch that! I hated to have things out of my control. Traveling on business was out of my control. When my company told me I had to go, I went.

I had no choice but to leave my travel arrangements to my trusty (ha) assistant Jessica, again. Ugh, Jessica! She was an idiot. I hoped she put me in a better hotel than the one she chose for my last trip. It couldn't have been more disgusting. I think it was also the furthest hotel you could get from the conference center. I wasn't sure they even washed the sheets, and judging by the noises that came from _both_ shared walls of my room, they needed to, _YUCK_. Jessica assured me that this hotel was much nicer. And it better be, or she'd be looking for a new job. Okay, maybe not, but one could only hope. At least she booked me in business class for my flight.

I hated to fly, especially in the coach section. The three-cluster-seats were so close together you had no choice but to spill into the space of your fellow passenger, and they yours. The recycled air always felt stale to me, typically causing a wave of nausea to hit at some point during the trip. And to top it off, trying to preserve the welfare of my pristine business suit was impossible.

I noticed a couple of my co-workers talking while I waited to board the flight. I hoped none of them tried to "make friends" with me. I had managed to maintain nothing but business type relationships at work. I was not looking for new friends.

_Controlling, much? _my snide personality questioned from the back of my mind.

Knowing the group of co-workers that was assigned to attend this conference, they would end up drunk and a few of them buddied up before the end of the week. I was not interested in a hook-up.

James Loden of course was there. He bothered me to no end. At first, it was sweet. He would ask me to lunch and I would politely decline. He was nice, but I just wasn't interested. But he was relentless; everyday for months, he would ask me out. Finally the requests started to become less frequent. It was then that I would find him in the hallway outside my office where he would accidentally "bump" into me on my way out and try to weasel in _that_ way. I was on to him. I had started bringing my lunch and eating at my desk to avoid him all together. I was not interested in him at all.

Edward Cullen though, now _that_ was an entirely different story. He was gorgeous, in an obvious sort of way. His emerald green eyes were piercing. When he looked at you, it felt like he was looking straight into your soul…not that I noticed or anything. He was hot and he knew it. He had plenty of conquests. Well, I really wouldn't know that personally. That was just what the office gossip was anyway. I didn't really know much about him.

_Though we could use a little T.L.C. or a good hard..._ STOP! The little voice in my head liked to remind me just how little "attention" she/we got from the opposite sex.

I shook my head a bit at the tiny voice, trying to will the thought away, so I could move to board my flight.

I settled in for the almost 4 hour flight from Seattle to Chicago. I had a new book in-hand and my ear buds in place, just in case whoever was seated beside me wanted to chat. I had made all the necessary arrangements that I could at home, to give myself some control and keep my sanity. My neighbor and one of my best friends, Rosalie, was going to be checking my mail and picking up my daily newspaper. The refrigerator was basically empty, to keep me from coming home to spoiled food.

I managed to pack lightly for the 5 day trip, needing only one very small suitcase, my garment bag and my carry-on. Taking my mother's advice, I packed my really important stuff in my carry-on.

"You never know what might happen, Bella."

_Alright Mom_, I thought.

Of all the people to talk about being responsible and prepared, my Mom was not one. She was basically the reason I was so controlling. That's what Rose and Alice called it anyway, "controlling". I called it responsible; it was all semantics. Growing up the way I did, I had to become the responsible adult fast. It seemed to be my lot in life.

Five hours later, we finally arrived in Chicago. The flight was delayed due to a storm, as such was my luck. Turbulence and reading did not mix well. I was just glad to be on the ground. I needed to check into my hotel, drop my bags in the room, freshen up and head to the conference center for my 1:00 session. It was early and I had a couple of hours yet. I contemplated a nap or lunch, maybe both. But after that flight, maybe lunch wasn't such a good idea.

I waited, along with everyone else from the flight, for my luggage to drop from the ceiling gods.

_That's a weird looking carousel_, I thought to myself, but who am I to judge?

I lifted my head, after about 10 minutes of waiting. Why was I one of the last people standing here? Oh, right…such was my luck. After everyone had retrieved their luggage, I was left standing in front of the carousel that had just _stopped_.

"Well shit!" I muttered to myself. I looked around and saw the sign I was looking for. I made my way over to the Information Center to get some help.

As I entered, an elderly lady behind the counter looked up. She greeted me and I explained why I was there, like she doesn't already have an effin clue. With hair too red to even remotely _look_ natural, one Mrs. Cope gave me some paperwork to fill out. Really, her hair looked like Strawberry Shortcake's.

_Be nice Bella,_ my sweeter side chided.

"Once it is found, they will deliver it to your hotel dear," she explained.

Sounded simple enough, right? I found a seat and began the process.

A few minutes later I returned the completed forms to Mrs. Cope and asked, "How long does it typically take, for luggage to turn up, in your experience?"

"Oh it…umm," she hesitated, "it could take a couple of hours or it could take a couple of days."

"A couple of _days_!" I squeaked. What was I supposed to do for clothes this week?

"Yes dear, but it could be sooner. You just never know," she replied sweetly with a sad smile on her face. "I'm sorry."

"Thank you," I muttered before I made my way outside. I hailed a cab and felt a bit lost.

_At least I had today's suit. Worst case scenario I could do a little shopping. Chicago would be a great place to shop_. Alice would be so proud that I was even contemplating shopping without her. She knew how much I hated it, but she had taught me well. I suppose it was time for this little bird to fly from her nest. I was kind of glad I took my Mom's advice about my carry-on. I_nsert eye rolling here Bella._

After arriving at the hotel, I headed toward the front desk to check-in with only my one bag. I could imagine how I looked after a 5 hour flight and a downtrodden attitude, due to my crappy situation. At that point, I really didn't care. I just needed to get to my room for a nap!

Looking around, I realized I was among about 1000 other people trying to do the same. Okay, so if I was being realistic, it was more like 20. But who was counting? So there I stood... with no luggage… at my hotel... in line... waiting. It had only been a couple of hours and the trip had already gotten off to a bad start.

**AN: A very special "thank you" goes out to Project Team Beta for accepting my story. Also a big "thank you" to batgirl8968 and LouderThanSirens for your hard work in fixing my many mistakes. I promise to try harder, to make your work easier.**

**I'm going to be that dork who reminds you that this is my very first attempt to write a FanFic… so please be nice.**

**Reviews are like chocolate - there is never such a thing as too much.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyers wrote and owns Twilight. Stephenie Meyers, I am not. I only own a collection of her books and a New Moon poster, that my husband won't let me hang up.**

Chapter 2

EPOV

The flight to my home town, Chicago, was as expected - delayed and bumpy. But I was still glad my assistant, Seth, suggested an early departure from Seattle. I sat next to James, a co-worker of mine, throughout the flight. Our company didn't typically pay for business class tickets, but I had Seth upgrade mine. I hated to sit like a sardine in a tin can. It looked like James might have had the same idea. Either that or the fact that there were fewer rows for the flight attendants to escape from him. In watching him, the latter seemed to be more the case.

He talked about getting together for drinks later with some of the others who had taken this trip. I thanked him but declined. There was no way I wanted to be hung-over during the upcoming training sessions. The sessions were torturous enough without the added headache and waves of nausea.

I made my way through the airport and noticed some of my other co-workers who had to attend the sessions. There were six of us in total; me, James, Ben, Bella, Tanya, and Kate.

James, well, you've met James - ladies-man extraordinaire (self-proclaimed that is).

Ben was an all around nice guy, who seemed to have a good head on his shoulders. He recently got engaged to his high school sweetheart, Angela. She's a real sweetheart. She also worked with us, but wasn't assigned to the training session.

Tanya and Kate were sisters. Kate was sweet and seemed a bit shy.

But Tanya, she was in a whole different category. She had been relentless in her pursuit to get her claws in me, since day one. Eh, her advances made me shudder. She was all too excited to find that we were going to be on this trip at the same time.

"Oh Edward," she laughed. "You're going to be in Chicago for the next training session too. That should be fun." She smirked as she handed me my itinerary.

I had a feeling that it was not just coincidence that she and I were going to Chicago at the same time. _Hell_, we were probably in the same sessions, knowing Tanya. No doubt she convinced the 'higher-ups' that she needed to attend more training. After all, she did have access to the list of upcoming training sessions and trainees.

Then there was Bella Swan. I have been infatuated with her from the beginning. I couldn't believe how much of a coward I was to not approach her to this point. I mean we've worked for the same company for almost a year now. She was always so quiet and distant at the office. I doubt she even noticed me, but I certainly noticed her; who wouldn't? James certainly did.

James had no trouble bothering her every chance he got. He asked her out, to which she would always decline. He was persistent. I would sometimes notice that he camped out around her office, knowing that Bella would be out by a certain time. He liked to act like they just "bumped into each other". It seemed that she was catching on though. The incidents were becoming less and less frequent.

I watched Bella waiting for her luggage, along with the rest of us. She had her ear-buds in and nervously flipped her iPod around in her hand. I was close enough to see that it was turned off. She was avoiding someone, probably James. I silently snickered at that.

I grabbed my luggage and garment bag from the carousel and headed outside to catch a cab. I had just enough time to get checked & settled into my hotel and then grab some lunch, before I had to head out for my first session.

Check-in went fine and I settled into my room by unpacking. I was glad that I remembered to ask Seth for an upgrade to my hotel room as well. I would be here for five days and figured I might as well have a comfortable stay. After looking at the menu, I grabbed the phone to call room service. _'Click…Click, Click'_. Nice, the phone wasn't working. I decided to head back downstairs to the front desk to alert them of the problem.

"I'm sorry Mr. Cullen. We will send maintenance to your room for the repair immediately," the clerk crooned, as she ogled my chest. Then her eyes slowly came up to meet mine. I did an inward eye roll at her. Sometimes women could be so obvious.

"It's fine, thank you, there's no rush," I told her. I began to make my way past the front desk to the hotel's restaurant.

"What do you mean, 'there is no reservation under that name'?" I heard a woman's voice raised in question. "Will you please check again?"

I realized that the woman who was having so much trouble with the hotel was Bella.

Clicking on her keyboard and checking the screen again, the clerk looked up with an apologetic smile. "I'm sorry miss, but I cannot find your reservation in our database."

Bella's cheeks blushed with a beautiful hue of pink as she seemed angry and a bit embarrassed. Bella responded curtly, "Fine… just… fine. I would like a single room with a queen sized bed please. I will be checking-out on Fr-"

"I'm sorry miss, but there are no rooms available," the clerk interrupted. "There is a conference going on thi-"

"I _know there is a conference going on, that's why I'm here_!" Bella interrupted with her voice slightly raised.

The clerk lowered her voice and whispered in a calm tone, "I'm very sorry Miss Swan there is nothing else I can do."

Bella seemed a bit shocked and stood quietly for a beat. She collected herself and spoke up, "Great…what am I supposed to do now?"

The clerk looked at her a bit dumbfounded. It appeared that she really didn't know what else she could say or do to help. Bella walked away from the front desk, into the lobby and sat in one of the lounge chairs. I then realized that I had been watching their conversation with rapt attention. Even upset she seemed to be the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

I looked around and it seemed that no one else had noticed the exchange. I was a little embarrassed at my eavesdropping. I had been so wrapped up in their private conversation I was glad to see that no one had seen my spying.

Bella pulled her phone out of her bag and started to dial. "Jessica," she exclaimed in a loud whisper. "The hotel you booked for me doesn't seem to have my reservation in their system. Will you give me the confirmation number?" She waited… I watched. "Jessica! How could you forget to book a room for me? You booked the flight. Wouldn't you think that a hotel was equally as important?" she fumed. She was beautiful. "You even _said_ how great this hotel was... Ugh, never-mind! I need you to find a hotel room for me in the city _as soon as possible_," she ordered. "Yes, call me back as soon as you do." She hung up her phone and collapsed into the chair.

BPOV

Stupid fucking assistant… why did she still have a job? _Right_, because she was shagging the big boss, behind his wife's back.

_That's more office gossip Bella, _my responsible side reminded me.

I hated Jessica right now. What was I supposed to do?

_Calm down Bella, she will find another room,_ my more responsible side tried to assure me.

Jessica may suck at her job, but when she put her mind to it she could actually get something accomplished.

I sat back, sagging further into the very comfortable lobby chair. I was really looking forward to staying here. I stared down at my phone, willing it to ring. _Ugh_, I hated waiting. Looking down at myself, I realized I was not sitting in the most 'lady-like' fashion. I sat up a bit, smoothed down my skirt and crossed my legs. Looking around, it appeared that no one had noticed my faux pas. Everyone seemed to be in a rush to get to their rooms. _Lucky bastards._

From the corner of my eye, I could see someone approaching me. _Crap_, where were my ear buds when I needed them? The person in question sat directly next to me and leaned in. I looked up to see none other than Mr. Sexy himself, Edward Cullen of all people, staring down at me. His eyes were hypnotizing. He leaned in with our knees almost touching as he placed his hand on the arm of my chair. I unconsciously leaned closer into him.

"Are you alright Bella?" he breathed out slowly, washing me with a wave of his scent. He held me in place with his gaze. It took me a few seconds to answer.

"Ummm… yeah… I mean…yes, I'm okay. How are you?" I stammered.

He smirked with the cutest half smile and whispered, "I'm good… now." He turned his head away a bit at the last part, so I wasn't sure that I had heard him right. "I noticed you were having trouble with your check-in. Are you sure everything is okay?" he asked as he leaned in a bit closer with a concerned look on his face.

I decided to be honest since I really sucked at lying. "Ugh…_no_, everything is not okay. My assistant apparently didn't think to book a hotel room for me. The flight she can book and even upgrade, but the hotel… _no_!" I rolled my eyes as I responded with a bit of sarcasm. "I swear I think she can only do one accurate thing a day, before her daily supply of brain cells are used up."

I snorted at my stupid half-joke before I could fully contain myself. My eyes opened wide when I realized that I had just snorted in front of Edward Cullen. _Oh. My. Gosh._ I was mortified.

Edward's small smirk turned into a full blown, orgasm inducing, smile at my antics. Great, wet panties were not in the plans for the day. _Hell_, I didn't even have any more panties to change into…_crap_!

At that moment, I remembered my lack of….well… of _everything_ - no panties, no clothes, no luggage, no hotel, no boyfriend, no life. I didn't even have a _pet_! My mind spiraled out of control. I slouched a bit more into the chair and tried not to dwell. Jessica would come through, right? She may not have used up her daily supply just yet, it was still early.

Edward noticed the change in my expression and grabbed my hand. A surge of electricity instantly shot itself through my body, all the way down to my center. If he noticed the surge, his face didn't give him away. I looked down at our hands then back up into his smoldering eyes.

"Bella, you c-" he started, but my phone rang, interrupting our little moment.

I stumbled around a bit before he released my hand. I grabbed my phone and realized that it was Jessica.

"Jessica," I said, as I showed him my phone. "Hello?"

"Bella, oh my goodness, I'm so sorry," she cried out. It sounded like she was about to break down. As much as she annoyed me, she really did try. "I have called every hotel in the area and no one has an available room. I found a motel a little further away. They have an opening and you can have it. I just have to call them within the next 15 minutes to tell them you'll take it."

"Motel," I whispered to no one in particular. I thought back to the crappy hotel she put me in during my last trip. There was a huge difference between a _ho_tel and a _mo_tel, and I'm pretty sure I heard her say _mo_tel. I shuddered a bit before I looked up at Edward. He was staring down at me with a furrowed brow and his lips in a tight line. I turned and looked out the window of the lobby into the street, mostly to keep Edward from seeing the horrified look on my face.

"I guess that's fine Jessica. What's the name-" My sentence was cut short as Edward grasped my knee. Another, more commanding, wave ran though me at his touch. I quickly turned to see him staring down at me with a pleading look, his eyes begging. "Jessica, hang on just a second." I muted my phone and gazed at him.

"Bella, you can't stay in a motel in Chicago." His eyes were shining wide with alarm as he squeezed my knee.

"Edward, I-"

"You can stay with me," Edward implored with no more than a whisper.

**AN: A very special "thank you" goes out to Project Team Beta for accepting my story. **

**Also a big "your friggin awesome" to batgirl8968 and LouderThanSirens for your hard work in fixing my stupid mistakes.**

**Reviews are better than the "happy little trees" that Bob Ross used to paint.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer owns all the Twilight goodies!  
Edward Cullen however, owns me ~ but don't tell my husband (thought I'm pretty sure he already knows).**

Chapter 3

BPOV

_"Bella, you can't stay in a motel in Chicago." His eyes were shining wide with alarm as he squeezed my knee._

_"Edward, I-"_

_"You can stay with me," Edward implored with no more than a whisper._

I did nothing but stare at him - I know this - but my mind just couldn't seem to comprehend the words that came from his mouth. _"You can stay with me." _I blinked a few times to push away the myriad of images that blasted through my brain in that moment; _me sharing a room with Edward… Edward half dressed in the hotel room… my hands fisting his already messy hair as Edward presses me against the – no, our hotel room wall… ugh._ Edward noticed my total lack of concentration and began to speak.

"Bella, it's okay really-"

"It's not… it's just that…we hardly-"

"Bella-"

"Edward, really, I couldn't impose on you!"

"You wouldn't be imposing at all, I promise. The room is pretty big, it's a suite really. There will be plenty of room for the both of us. You can even take the bed."

"I can't take your bed Edward. No… no I can't. It's alright really, Jessica found a place. I'm sure it's fine," I said without much conviction.

"Bella, I'm serious, you cannot stay in a motel in Chicago. It's just not safe. My room is a suite. There is a huge bed….err…I mean," he stammered. "There's a sofa that may even open up into a sleeper, you can have the bed, I'll take the sofa. It's no trouble really."

"Edward, what would your girlfriend think if she knew you were sharing a hotel room with another woman - a practical stranger?" I had to ask. I didn't really know whether or not he had a girlfriend. I didn't want to assume he didn't, for my own sanity. If I chose to believe the gossip around the office, I would be lead to believe that he wasn't the type to even entertain a long term relationship; that he was more the 'Love Them/Then Leave Them' type. But I didn't want to judge him before I really got to know him. He seemed to be very sweet so far.

He looked down at me with his beautiful eyes knit together in confusion before they quickly widen in concern, "Bella, I'm sorry…I didn't even think about what your boyfriend might-"

Before he could finish his thought, I shook my head and interrupted, "I don't have a boyfriend." My eyes widened at my apparent lack of filter at the words I blurted out. I began to blush and the heat that came from my face could have started a small fire.

His expression relaxed as he ran his fingers through his tousled hair. "Me either. I mean… I don't have a girlfriend," he explained with a crooked grin.

Edward rolled his eyes and tried to ease the embarrassing tension that had engulfed us. "Anyway, you're not a stranger," he said with a silly smile and a shake of his head. "I would never invite a stranger to share a room with me." He smirked and gave me a wink before he squeezed my hand and licked his lips.

Suddenly the small thread that played at the hem of my jacket had become very interesting. _Was he flirting with me?_

He tightened his grip on my hand and pulled me up to stand with him. "Bella, come on, I'm not going to take 'no' for an answer. I insist." He looked at me with determination and I couldn't seem to tell him 'no'.

_Is this really a good idea?_ Responsible Bella questioned. _You barely know this man!_

_Hell yeah it is! You and Edward Cullen, alone in a hotel room, practically naked,_ replied my more lewd personality, Carefree-Bella, aka: Miss Carefree. She didn't get to come out and play too often, as Responsible Bella was more dominant and typically stamped her down. But given the new circumstances, she seemed to come out of her hidey hole with a vengeance!

"Edward, I don't know." I squinted my eyes and shook my head in disbelief.

He pulled me through the lobby by my hand as I staggered beside him. "Come on…let's go," he said, rolling his eyes in exasperation.

"Fine," was all I could grumble before he stopped dead in his tracks and turned to me. It made me crash directly into his muscular chest. I stumbled back a bit and he helped me right myself.

_Good thing too because we weren't really wanting to take an embarrassing tumble to the floor, on our butt, in our new suit_, Responsible Bella grouched.

Being pressed against him was really nice. He smelled amazing and I couldn't help but notice that I seemed to mould right into place against his hard chest. My traitor body gave in and I began to blush fiercely. I could feel the heat start at my chest and burn all the way up to the tips of my ears. I bit my bottom lip out of habit as I looked up and stared into his beautiful green eyes.

"Oh… I'm so sorry Bella! I just… I mean… I'm sorry. I didn't…I didn't mean to make you stumble. I'm sorry." He stuttered through his apology, while holding me by my waist with his strong hands. With his warm breath in my face, Miss Carefree jumped from her cushy chair and started to do a happy dance. His eyes bore into mine with an apologetic tone. But there was something else, something I couldn't put my finger on.

"Its okay," I tried to say without my voice squeaking. Miss Carefree was throwing heady images my way without giving it a second thought. I pushed her back, to keep from jumping him right there in the lobby of _our_ hotel. "Stop apologizing. That type of stuff happens to me all the time."

"Oh," was all he could say.

We stood there pressed together in the middle of the hotel lobby for what felt like hours but could have only been a few seconds. His eyes told me something that I couldn't quite make out. I bit my lip again in an attempt to calm my nerves. He glanced from my eyes to my lips and back again. He looked like he was going to say, or better yet _do _something. Any stranger passing by would mistake our pose for a lovers embrace. Edward noticed our position and slowly released me. Miss Carefree huffed back to her cushy chair and pouted.

"We forgot your bags," Edward whispered and broke me from his gaze.

"Right, my bags," I responded dumbly. "Well, I kind of… don't have any?" I replied in more of a question.

"Wh-" Edward started, with his own question no doubt. But I began again, before he could get a full word out.

"The airline lost my luggage so all I have is my carry-on. Which I am really glad I thought to pack with my essentials. I at least have my toothbrush and my pi-" I stopped mid sentence before I could embarrass myself by telling him that I was taking birth control pills. "And my other… personal things," I blabbered on for a bit. I had to stop before I told him that my _Mommy_ suggested I pack those types of things.

Edward looked down at me with a smirk and responded, "So what do you plan to do for clothes this week, Miss Bella?" He reached toward me and I realized too late that he was trying to be nice and take my single bag. He began to pull the bag from my shoulder and our hands brushed together. My breathing hiked as another wave of hot electricity surged toward my most sensitive areas. Miss Carefree took notice but remained seated, legs crossed, with a shit eating grin on her face. Edward's expression faltered slightly, making me wonder if he too noticed the surge.

With as much confidence as I could muster I responded with an equally charming smirk, "I'll just have to spend my evening shopping now, won't I?"

He collected himself and began to tease me. With a roll of his eyes and a shake of his head he joked with me, "Typical girl."

Our playful banter was new but seemed natural. I hadn't noticed that we began to walk again until we stood together in the hall waiting for the elevator.

In response to his remark I widened my eyes and raised my eyebrows while my mouth opened in a gape. I countered with a breathy laugh. "Hey! It's a necessity at this point. And I'm _not_ a typical girl, Edward. I really don't like to shop at all," I defended.

"Well, it shows. I mean…the 'not being a typical girl' part, anyway," he said as his eyes glanced down at mine, while his perfect lips pulled playfully at the edges. "It's refreshing."

I could only think to take it as a compliment and responded in a whisper, "Well, thank you," I suddenly found the shiny tile floor very interesting, "for everything."

He tipped my chin up with his fingers so our eyes could meet before he spoke, "My pleasure, Miss Bella."

The elevator doors opened as a small group of people approached from the lobby. With a playful smile in place and a wave of his hand Edward gestured for me to enter the lift before him. He pressed the button for the 17th floor before he moved behind me to make room for another group of people. As the group grew in our confined space I was bumped a bit, which caused me to stumble backward into Edward. His hands, once again, gripped my waist tightly, in an attempt to steady me. I bit my bottom lip out of embarrassment because this was the second time within ten minutes that he had caught me from falling. His strong hands, combined with the heat from his hard body, began to be too much for me to handle. I closed my eyes in an attempt to will my inevitable blush away. But my traitor body would have no such part at my feeble attempt and my cheeks brightened, in what I could only assume was a crimson red. Pressed against him in the most extraordinary way I could feel his arousal against my backside_. _

_This man is gifted, _Miss Carefree squealed in delight before she pretended to dry hump her chair.

Edward's hands tightened on my waist as he bent to whisper in my ear. "Bella," I could feel his lips brush the shell of my ear with each syllable, sending a rush of chills through my body, "that blush of yours," his hot breath washed across my face, "it is simply stunning." My nipples pebbled in response to his closeness, his words and his body that was pressed so deliciously against mine. My panties were completely soaked and I was mentally reduced to a puddle on the elevator floor.

Before I could gather my jumbled thoughts, Edward released my waist and cleared his throat. I realized that the elevator was now mostly clear of the crowd that had once shared the small space with us. _How long were we standing like that_? I took a step away from him to clear my head and tried to figure out what had happened. I peered at him over my shoulder and his expression seemed a bit smug with his crooked smile in place.

_I knew it… I knew it. _Responsible Bella sneered_. He's exactly what those gossip-heads in the office say he is! _She was pissed.

Miss Carefree jumped from her chair and yelled at her, S_hut up and get over it! We need a little fun!_

Miss Responsible backed down a bit when she remembered that we had no other place to stay. Unless we wanted to stay in the dump that Jessica found for us.

I shook my head at 'The Girls' antics and decided for myself what to do. I returned his smug smile and licked my lips. His sharp eyes glanced down at my wet lips then again into my eyes. On some level, I had to think to myself that maybe Miss Carefree was right. Miss Carefree turned to Miss Responsible and blew raspberries at her, before she took a long, vulgar lick from a striped lollipop that was bigger than her face. Miss Responsible rolled her eyes before she returned to her own business.

The elevator chimed and opened at the 17th floor, which broke the trance in which Edward and I had been encased. I exited the lift but quickly realized that I had no idea which way we were going. I turned to Edward who smiled and gestured to the left. The tension in the air was thick and neither of us spoke as I trailed alongside him down the wide hallway. We finally reached his - our room, which was the furthest down the long hallway. The window at the end of the hall gave a beautiful view of the city. Edward swiped his room card and motioned for me to enter before him.

As I entered the room I was taken aback at the luxury of the space. The carpet was plush and complimented the golden wallpapered walls. The furniture was beautiful and inviting as the sun shone sharply through the large windows. There was a set of closed doors to the right, which I could only guess lead to the bedroom. But what captured my attention was the view. It was similar to the view of the city I saw from the window in the hall, but it had the added beauty of the lake as well. Sailboats dotted the blue landscape while the sun glistened off the surface.

I turned to Edward with an expression of awe. He smiled warmly at me before turning toward the closed doors. Behind them there was a loud noise that made me jump. He opened the doors quickly with a fierce expression. A man dressed in a maintenance uniform stood upright and began to apologize. I noticed he had a telephone in one hand, along with a handful of wiring.

"I'm sorry, sir. I was just finishing up in here. The front desk said you were having trouble with your phones," the man explained.

Edward looked at him with understanding and nodded.

"Anyway, they're fixed now, so you should be set. Have a nice stay Mr. and Mrs. Cullen," the man finished as he exited the suite.

Edward and I stood, staring at one another in tense silence. _Mr. and Mrs. Cullen, I liked the sound of that, _I thought to myself. He smiled at me shyly and walked further into the bedroom. I followed him and took note of where he placed my bag.

While still holding his shy expression, Edward began, "Well… here you are, Bella. You can stay in here and I'll take the sofa."

"Edward, are you-" I began, but my words were cut short as he pressed his long index finger lightly against my lips.

"Bella, I insist," he said in no more than a whisper, leaving his finger on my lips a bit longer than necessary.

His eyes showed his insistence with a quick flash of something more… pleading? One could only hope. Keeping sane while sharing a hotel room with Edward Cullen may be one of the hardest things I would ever do in my life.

With an exaggerated sigh he removed his finger from my lips and took a step back before he turned to look out the oversized bedroom window. "It's getting late. We should get to our first session." He turned back toward me with a sparkle in his eyes as he wagged his eyebrows - his lips holding a silly grin. "Don't want to be late on our first day, do we?" Edward's silly behavior quickly extinguished the tension.

I shook my head 'no' while we both laughed at his antics.

EPOV

What on earth was I thinking? _Of course_, I didn't mind sharing my suite with Bella. She had nowhere else to go. But to come on to her in the elevator like I did? Ugh. I'm fortunate that the hotel's maintenance man was in _our_ room, or I may have insisted on showing her the finer points of the very large bed, in great detail. _Sheesh! What has gotten into me?_ I was starting to act like the "Edward" that the office gossip-heads had concocted. I was _not_ him - an arrogant, cocky, man-whore. I was going to have to redeem myself with Bella somehow. I would think of something. Something that would show her that I was not "that guy" who went around all egocentric and assuming he could get whatever, whenever he wanted.

"That will be $7.50," the cabby said, bringing me from my thoughts.

Bella and I shared a cab to the conference center. We hadn't spoken much since we left the hotel room, only sharing shy glances throughout the cab ride. The elevator ride back down to the lobby was quiet and tense as we stood next to one another. A strange buzz filled the space around us.

I pulled my wallet from my jacket pocket to pay the cab fare. Bella pushed my hand away before paying the driver. I looked at her with knit brows and my lips pursed in annoyance.

"What?" She smirked with playfully wide eyes. "You're letting me stay in your room, Edward, the least I could do is pay the $10.00 cab fare." Her beautiful brown eyes stared into mine as she started to chew on her bottom lip again. She had done that earlier in the lobby and again in the elevator. Just like then, I couldn't help the reaction my body had to her. My pants had gotten tighter and for once I was grateful for the suit jacket I wore.

Bella exited the cab first with me following close behind. Her tight covered ass was on clear display for only me - which did not help the problem in my pants. Once we were on the sidewalk I immediately buttoned my jacket to cover my "little problem". OK, so 'little' isn't a word that had ever been used to describe my cock...quite the opposite really. I'd not had any complaints. Not that there had been that many women to begin with.

"Which session are you attending today?" I questioned, holding the door open for her as we entered the conference center lobby. Since it was after 1:00 in the afternoon there would only be one training session today. Tomorrow started our week of hell.

While peering down at her itinerary, she furrowed her brow in concentration then glanced up and met my eyes once again. "Looks like, 'Expanding Client Development' in conference room 5018. How 'bout you?"

I pulled my itinerary out and scanned it in mock concentration. I had already memorized my schedule to keep from pulling it from my pocket repeatedly. Once the words came from her mouth I was thrilled, learning that we would be together the rest of the afternoon, even if it were just because of our training. I gazed back down into her chocolate eyes and responded with a playful smirk. "Would you look at that, conference room 5018," I said showing her my paperwork. "Looks like we're in this together. Won't that be fun?" I finished with a silly wag of my eyebrows.

She rolled her eyes at my silliness and huffed, "Uh-huh…fun. Right."

"Why Miss Bella, 'I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship.'"

The training session went as expected. There was a boring director who seemed just as excited to be there as we were. The room was much smaller than I imagined and mostly full of fellow trainees already, once we finally arrived. Since we were running a little behind, Bella and I were not able to sit close to one another like I had hoped.

The session was drawing to an end but I couldn't help glance across the room again, my eyes falling on Bella. I couldn't seem to keep from watching her. Her long brown hair played across her shoulders with a slight curl at the end. She kept tucking a rogue strand behind her ear with her tiny fingers. Her cute ears held simple diamond studs that glistened in the light with her slightest move. I couldn't help the thoughts that ran through my mind: _pressing myself tightly against her soft body, while lightly sucking that earlobe. _

I shook my head at the thought and realized, too late, that Bella had caught me staring yet again. This was the third time within the past hour that she had caught me. She gave me a shy smile before turning her attention back to the instructor.

BPOV

The training wasn't too bad but the instructor was so boring I almost fell asleep… twice. I felt my jet-lag finally catching up to me. I had to force my eyes to stay open.

The one thing that kept my interest was Edward. I glanced at him from the corner of my eye and couldn't help but notice that he gazed in my direction more than a handful of times. I hoped I didn't have something on my face or worse yet, something hanging from my nose. I did a quick brush across my nose to be safe. I couldn't be sure what he was thinking but my heart raced and my face blushed every time he caught me staring back at him.

My cab stopped in front of the hotel and pulled me from my reverie. I paid the fare, grabbed my bags and thanked the cabby for his help. After I left the conference center I summoned my "inner Alice" and went shopping for a new wardrobe for the week. It wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. Chicago happened to be on the fringe of fashion and everything I tried on looked great. Alice and Rose would have been so proud of me today. I even made my way to LaPerla, to shop for new underwear. I never got a chance to shop there in person, so I went a bit crazy. Being there in the store made me feel sexy and confident.

I entered the suite and noticed right away that Edward was not there. _He was probably out looking for a hook-up… or drinking with the others from our office… or both, _Miss Responsible scoffed. I was starting to think that she was kind of a bitch and needed to get laid.

I tossed my bags onto the bed and made my way into the enormous bathroom. The floors were tiled with the same beautiful colors that were throughout the suite. The counter tops were the only contrast in the room. The beautiful black granite made a statement. But it was the oversized garden tub that called to me. After shopping for several hours I really just needed to get out of my high heels and relax for a little bit.

I soaked until the water turned tepid. I heard the hotel door open and then close lightly with a soft 'click'. I quickly remembered that I was in Edward's bathroom and very naked. I hurriedly grabbed a soft towel from the rack and wrapped myself in its warmth. Looking around the bathroom I realized that _all_ of my clothes were still in the bedroom, on the bed. I poked my head from the bathroom door and realized that I had not bothered to close the bedroom doors. C_rap!_ I glanced from the doors back to the bed that stood proud in the center of the space with my clothes still in bags tossed haphazardly in top. If I just walked out there and grabbed my bags I would be alright, right? Right!

Before I made the short trip I mentally perused my bags to assure that I would grab the correct one first. I couldn't remember which bag held what I needed. _Great!_ I didn't want to embarrass myself any further than I was already about to. The thought of walking around in front of Edward in a fluffy towel was not helping my nerves. I could hear the muted sounds of the television from the other room. If I were quiet Edward wouldn't even hear me. I would grab my stuff and quietly run back to the safety of the bathroom.

I quickly tip-toed from the bathroom in an attempt to make as little noise as possible. As I passed the open door I could see Edward's profile. I took a moment to just look at him. He was sitting on the sofa, typing on his computer that was resting on his lap with his socked feet propped up on the small table. He was strikingly handsome. He had removed his jacket and pushed his folded shirt sleeves to his elbows while his messy bronze hair splayed erratically across his head. From this vantage point I could see a hint of his beautiful emerald green eyes and his sharp stubbled jaw line, which I just wanted to lick all the way up to his ear.

I pushed those thoughts away and, with shaky legs, made my way over to the large bed, managing not to fall in my rush. After sifting through my bags I realized that I had bought everything I needed to wear for work, on this trip; I had even bought some cute jeans to lounge around in. What I didn't think to buy was pajamas. I realized, with my currently limited wardrobe, I had nothing to wear to bed. "Shit, shit… _ssshhhit_," I muttered to myself. Such was my luck! What on earth was I going to wear?

_We could wear those sexy new undies we just bought,_ Miss Carefree offered with a seductive grin.

"Ugh!" She was not helping matters!

Edward must have heard my grumblings because the next thing I knew he was standing in the bedroom's open doorway, his eyes wide in shock. I stood there frozen in place in nothing but a towel and limp dripping hair spread all around my collar - not having enough mental capability to even blink my eyes. Edward's mouth was slightly opened as his wide eyes roamed my barely-towel-clad body. He quickly corrected himself and turned his back to me.

"I'm sorry. I thought you were finished. I heard you talking and thought-" he stopped. "I don't know what I thought. I'm sorry," he apologized.

Still unable to move I began, "It…its al...alright," I stuttered. When had I turned back into a five year old? I tugged my towel a bit higher and continued. "I was actually looking through the clothes I bought today and realized that I forgot to buy pajamas." I paused awkwardly, trying to think of something…_anything_ at that point. "I hate to ask, but do you maybe have a tee-shirt I could borrow? Until my bags show up from the airport."

"Um… tee-shirt," he paused. "Umm… well, no, I don't have a tee-shirt. I mostly packed work clothes." I could feel the blood rush from my face as I stood there at a loss. "But I do have _my_ pajamas," he quickly started again. "We could, you know, share them… maybe," he offered.

Still in a daze I questioned, "Share?"

"Yeah, you know… I could wear the bottoms and you could wear…the top?" he suggested in a questioning tone and shrugged his shoulders.

He turned around again to face me but kept his eyes on the floor, being a gentleman. He walked toward the dresser and opened the bottom drawer, producing said pajamas. He stood facing me with his eyes on the wall above my head and handed me the top portion. "I'm sorry, but this is all I have. Unless…I could… go… you know, go out and buy you something instead…if you would rather-"

"No, this is great," I responded as I grabbed it from his hand.

"Okay then." Edward grimaced before he turned to leave the room.

"Thank you," was all I could say before he left, closing the bedroom doors behind him.

"You're welcome," he responded from behind the doors.

I padded back to the bathroom, feeling a bit more at ease with the situation. It could be better, but it could be much, much worse.

I removed my towel and placed my arms into the long sleeves of the shirt. Before starting the buttons, I gathered the collar in my fists and pressed it against my face. The smell was delicious, fresh, clean and crisp. Mostly I could smell the prominent scent of Edward. I wondered briefly what type of cologne he wore.

I quickly buttoned his shirt and slid into my new panties. The sleeves were too long, so I had to fold them several times. The bottom hem came just above my knees and I was comforted knowing that it hit around the same place my skirts did. I blew my hair dry and pulled it up in a loose pony tail. Looking at myself in the mirror I shrugged my shoulders. This was just going to have to do.

I made my way back into the bedroom. I could hear Edward on the phone with someone and wanted to give him privacy. The suite was large, but not _that_ large. I could mostly hear his conversation and it sounded like he said something about linens. After he hung up, I opened the door that separated the bedroom from the living space.

He looked up at me from the sofa in shock before he recovered with his sexy half-smirk/half-smile. "Nice," he said with wide eyes before a silly wag of his eyebrows.

I rolled my eyes and thanked him again.

"I'm only teasing, Bella." He grinned before turning back to his laptop.

I moved into the living space and sat down in one of the small chairs next to him. I was careful to cross my legs and cover my knees with his delicious smelling shirt that I was now wearing.

"Edward, I feel really bad about taking your bed," I started.

After placing his laptop down on the table, he leaned forward, folding his forearms over his knees and responded, "Bella, it's okay really. I called the front desk and they are sending an extra set of linens up."

Just then there was a knock at the door.

"See," he said with a dazzling grin on his face.

He got up and moved to answer the door. I was shamelessly staring at him as he walked away. His broad shoulders only accentuated his long muscular back. And his ass looked like Michelangelo himself chiseled it from a hard piece of marble. If that was how he looked clothed I could only _imagine_ how he would look naked.

He came back with a handful of linens and deposited them on the sofa. He stared down at the sofa and then back at me.

"Edward-"

"Bella, I will be fine." He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.

He excused himself and went into the bathroom. I relaxed and watched television for a bit. The combination of the relaxing bath, the boring training, the shopping, and jet lag had me fighting consciousness. Edward returned shortly with his hair wet from his shower. He was wearing nothing but pajama pants that matched my top. I couldn't seem to keep my eyes from his sculpted chest. I stared at him for several seconds before he noticed. He cleared his throat, which made my eyes flash to his. I was mortified at my blatant ogling, my face tingling with the heat of another blush but he didn't seem phased by it. He moved further into the room and sat on the sofa, my eyes following him the entire way.

Miss Responsible couldn't do anything but stare at him with her mouth gaping open and closed like a goldfish.

Miss Carefree was doing a weird dance and chanting aloud in some sort of strange love language that only she could translate.

"Well, it's getting late and we have a full day ahead of us tomorrow…so-"

"Right," I responded dumbly. "Right, yeah… goodnight." I got up and made my way to the bedroom. Before I turned to close the doors I looked at Edward, who had been watching me as I walked away. "Edward," I spoke up, trying to get him to look into my eyes instead of looking at my legs, "thank you again…for everything." I was squealing like a teenager internally at his blatant ogling.

He met my eyes and responded, "You are very welcome Bella. Goodnight." He smiled at me before turning to make his bed on the sofa.

I turned and only partially closed the doors, to assure Edward that I was okay with our arrangement and that if he needed to, he could come through the bedroom to get into the bathroom. I stealthily watched him through the crack as he prepared his bed. His long torso bending down to smooth out the sheets made me think of tight muscles covered in satin. He was beautiful, if you could rightfully call a man such. With a quiet sigh I turned around to finish my night time routine.

I moved from the bathroom and climbed into the very large, very comfortable bed – my thoughts on Edward sleeping on the hard sofa in the next room. I felt pretty bad about the situation but could only concede to Edward and his almost-demand that I take the bed. I drifted into a fitful sleep with a serious case of Edward on the brain.

**Great, Big, Giant "Thank You" to batgirl8968 and LouderThanSirens for your hard work in fixing my stupid mistakes.  
You'd think I would know where to put comma's by now. *sigh***

**Please review… I'll give you a tiny slice of a lemon in the next chapter if you do. *smiles***


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer is the lucky owner and creator of Twilight and all the yummy characters.  
I own nothing but my cool FanFic pen name that I arbitrarily picked a year before I decided to start writing.**

**WARNING… WARNING:  
OK… so if you're under 18… please move along to something more "T" rated.  
I will not be responsible for contributing to the delinquency of a minor!  
Now shoo…shoo!**

Chapter 4

EPOV

After seeing Bella in my pajamas…_my_ pajamas, I could barely think straight. She looked so hot in my shirt, _only_ my shirt…_my_ shirt… her long creamy legs on display for my eyes only. I had to excuse myself and head for the bathroom before I took her right on the spot! I needed to take a shower and tend to the raging hard on I had been sporting for the greater part day, all thanks to Bella.

Once in the privacy of the large hotel bathroom, I started the shower and undressed slowly. The fabric scraping across my overly sensitive skin did nothing to quell my need. I stepped into the shower and allowed the water to soak me from head to toe. I stood there for who knows how long, trying to erase the images of Bella in my pajamas, in my bed, writhing underneath me.

After washing my hair, I filled my hand with body wash and started my hands slow progression downward to my impossibly hard erection. Placing one hand on the tiled wall to support myself, I wrapped my right hand lightly around my length starting at the tip, slowly tightening as I pressed down in my decent toward the base. Behind my closed eyes, I imagined it was Bella's small hand in the place of my own.

_Under the spray of our shared shower, Bella looks up at me seductively with hooded eyes, licking her glistening lips before they meet mine, our tongues fighting for dominance. I wrap my arms tightly around her waist, pulling her closer to me. I can feel her perky round tits and taut nipples against my chest, my ever-hard cock pressed between us. Her wet hands move from my shoulders and play across my chest, moving further down across the plains of my stomach, my muscles contracting at her touch. _

_She lightly grips me at the head, testing, then tightening her hold with boldness as she moves her way down my shaft that is slick with the combination of soap and my arousal._

_Breaking from our kiss she moves her teeth upward, scraping across my jaw line. With her lips pressed against my ear she whispers, "Touch me Edward. I want you."_

_Tightening my grip on her waist with my left hand, I slowly move my right across the curves of her tight body. I bend slightly, my tongue dancing across her perky nipples as my fingers move from her hip to cup her bare pussy. Her back that I once had pressed against the cold, tiled wall of the shower now arcs forward at my touch. I dip one finger into her hot slick folds as she breaths heavily in my ear. Adding a second, then a third finger, I begin to move in time with her rhythm. She further tightens her hold on my cock and moves ever faster, clearing my mind of everything but Bella._

_With our mouths pressed together, we both reach our peak with shared breaths of pleasure._

With quicker strokes, I reminded myself to keep quiet when I cum hard and fast, spilling onto the shower floor, to be washed away by the cooling water. I had to use both hands to brace myself against the shower wall, while leaning my head on to my left bicep.

Images of Bella still played through my head as I calmed my breathing and pulled away from the wall. With shaky legs, I moved to finish my nightly routine.

When I returned to Bella, she was watching television and looking too sexy for her own good. I watched her for a minute, before she noticed me. She was sitting in the same chair as when I left for my shower, but now had her legs tucked under her. _Fuck, I love her legs_. Her hair pulled back in a loose pony tail made her look even younger than her 26 years.

I continued to watch her until she noticed me. She looked up at me with a smile, but her expression changed to one of surprise. It took me a few seconds to figure out _why_. Her eyes trained on my chest were intense in their gaze. _I take pride in my body and worked hard to keep in shape._ I cleared my throat which broke her gape, as her eyes shot to mine. Her radiant blush flooded her cheeks, making her look impossibly sexy. I smiled at her and moved to sit on the sofa, also known as my bed.

I was not looking forward to the sofa being my bed for the next 4 nights. Earlier, I realized that the sofa did _not_ in fact turn into a sleeper sofa, so I was stuck with the narrow, hard surface.

_That's what she said._ I grinned internally at my stupid Michael Scott-esque joke.

The sofa wouldn't be _that_ bad. It would be OK for a few nights; I could live. I would probably do anything to keep Bella here, safe. To have allowed her to stay in a motel, in Chicago, was out of the question. I didn't even think twice about suggesting she stay with me. Alright, demand would be a better word to describe it, but really, a motel? No way! She would be safe here…with me. She may not have known it, but I was completely infatuated with her.

I had no idea how she felt toward me or if she had any feelings toward me at all, good or bad. But by the way she was ogling my chest, I'd say things were looking good in my favor.

"Well, it's getting late and we have a full day ahead of us tomorrow…so," I started, breaking the odd silence.

"Right," she responded, "right, yeah, goodnight."

She got up and made her way to the bedroom. During her exit I couldn't help but stare, yet again, at her sexy legs.

"And, Edward?" she questioned, breaking me from my trance. "Thank you again…for everything."

I looked up at her, not really seeing her. My mind was filled with long, sexy, creamy Bella legs.

"You are very welcome, Bella. Goodnight."

I quickly got up and turned to face the sofa; my hard on was back in full force and I didn't want her to see the effect she was having on me. I made my "bed" and lay down to watch television for a bit. I didn't feel tired. I felt…horny. The TV didn't do anything to help me, so I turned it off, hoping the dark quiet would put me to sleep.

_Fuck_ the couch sucked. My ass kept sliding into one of the cracks between the cushions. It was too narrow for me to roll in any direction. I was too tall… _no_, it was too short, so my feet hung off the high arm about a foot and a half. I felt like Buddy the elf from the movie 'Elf'. _Gah, that movie was freakin' hilarious!_

I couldn't fall asleep, the room was dark and quiet, just like I liked it, but I was un-fuckin-comfortable. I thought about trying the floor, but didn't want Bella to think I was a pussy and couldn't sleep on a fucking sofa! _Shit!_

"Uhhh…"

_What was that?_

"Yesss..."

_Hu?_

"Edwahhh…."

_Edward…? No, it couldn't be._

"Bella," I called out in a loud whisper.

No response.

"Edward."

_Yep, that was my name. Was she awake?_

"Yeah?" I replied quietly.

I could hear the sheets sliding together as she moved around.

"Bella," I called out a little louder.

She didn't respond. I got up, wondering if this was even a good idea. I silently walked toward the bedroom doors that she had left cracked open. I peeked in, expecting to see her sitting up and waiting for my response.

She was curled up on her right side, facing away from me. I couldn't see her face, to know if she was awake or asleep. The room was lit only in soft moonlight that shone in from the large window. I noticed that the blanket had been kicked off the bed and the sheets were twisted around her long, bare legs. Her shirt -my shirt- had ridden up past her hips, revealing her fucking hot white lace-trimmed panties. I had to stop thinking about her tight, round ass that was only covered in the thinnest…. _Fuck! Stop it!_

"Bella, are you alright?" I questioned, trying miserably to keep my dick from reacting to the sight before me.

She sighed and turned to rest on her left side, bringing the knotted sheets with her. In the soft light, I could barely make out her face. She looked like she was asleep. She looked like an angel.

She sighed again and whispered, "Edward, I want…"

_Ugh… she's trying to kill me._

I realized that she was still asleep. My heart swelled, knowing she was dreaming of me. I watched her for a few more minutes, before heading back to my makeshift bed. If she woke up, I didn't want her to see me watching her, like a pervert, through the half opened doors.

I lay back down, trying to calm my very hard cock.

_Fuck! How was I supposed to go to sleep now?_

I listened to Bella's sleep talking, or should I say sleep moaning, most of the night. My name came up several more times as she tossed and turned.

I must have fallen asleep at some point in the early morning hours, because I was scared awake by a loud persistent noise. My eyes shot open as I began to roll toward the annoying sound. I caught myself with my right hand before my body could crash to the floor.

_Right, I was on the sofa!_

I scrambled to sit up on the sofa. The noise was from the alarm I had set on my cell phone. _Great, it was morning already!_ I reached for my phone and turned off the alarm, throwing it back on the small coffee table.

I lifted my arms above my head and stretched as far as I could. My back was killing me and my neck was stiff from my night's sleep on the crappy sofa. I yawned loudly and scratched my chest before running my fingers through my messy hair.

Coming from the bedroom, Bella greeted me with a small smile. She was beautiful. "Good morning."

It looked like she had been up for a while, because she appeared dressed and ready for the day - sans heels. She had little make-up on, which was one of my favorite things about Bella. She didn't have to try hard to look naturally beautiful, because she just…WAS. Her hair was pulled back in a neat, professional twist that was secured with a pretty clip.

I wanted to remove that clip, so I could watch her long wavy chestnut hair spill across her back. Her outfit for the day was sexy, yet professional; she had done very well on her shopping trip yesterday. I was reminded of her hot, white panties and thought JUST how well she did on that trip. I hoped to see more of her panty choices this week, even if I was spying on her through half closed doors while she moaned my name in her sleep.

I smiled up at her and greeted her, "Good morning, Miss Bella."

Her small smile turned into a shy grin as her face lit up with a beautiful pink blush. "I got ready a little early, so you could have the bathroom when you got up," she started.

_That explained why she appeared ready to go._

"Thank you. That was sweet of you," I replied as I made my way to the bedroom. I retrieved my suit for the day and headed to the bathroom.

When I was finished, I walked back into the bedroom, looking for my shoes. I couldn't remember where I took them off. Bella was sitting on the already made bed, looking out the window at the breathtaking cityscape that crept right up to the vast placid lake.

I couldn't help but stare. The view from the window was nice, but it didn't compare to the view of Bella sitting in the glowing sunlight, the rays dancing around her velvety smooth skin and shiny hair.

I cleared my throat and continued my way into the bedroom.

"So, how did you sleep?"

Bella stood and turned to me with a solemn look on her face. "Alright, I guess. The bed was wonderful. Thank you again," she added. "But I just don't feel rested, you know?"

_I did know!_ I nodded my head in agreement. I moved around the room, continuing to prepare for the day. I needed to find my shoes.

She continued, "I feel like I never really went to sleep." She tilted her head to the left and shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know, maybe it's because I'm in a strange place. How was your night?"

I found my shoes and sat on the bed to tie them. I hadn't planned on telling her just how bad it sucked sleeping on the sofa or how she kept me up, in more ways than one all night long. But sitting on the soft bed made me bite back a moan. My back still hated me for the torture I put it through last night and this bed felt fucking wonderful.

Looking up at her, I realized she was waiting for my response. "It was…it…" I stopped stammering and had to tell her the truth, "okay, I have to be honest. That sofa really sucks," I said, finishing with a fake laughing huff through my nose. "My back is killing me and I don't think I slept more than 2 hours."

"Oh my gosh, Edward, I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, really. I'll be okay. I might try the floor tonight, instead."

Bella look horrified at the prospect of me sleeping on the floor of my own hotel suite. I realized that by telling her the truth I may have embarrassed her, given the strange situation.

Standing up, I rolled my eyes at her for show, "Bella, it will be okay, really," I said trying to brush it off. "I'm overexaggerating. It wasn't great, but it was fine. I would much rather know you were safe, than staying in some crappy place your assistant dug up."

At that Bella cringed, finishing with a shudder.

I raised an eyebrow in question. "Is that what you want?"

Her eyes widened and she practically screamed, "_No_… no, I don't. You are too sweet Edward, really. I just don't want you to be uncomfortable because of me," she explained as her blush once again covered her face.

I waved my hand in a dismissing gesture, not hearing any more of her apologies. I moved into the living space and pulled my jacket on. I scooped up my watch, phone and messenger bag. Bella came from the bedroom, looking sexy and ready to head to work. I waved my hand toward the door. "Come on, let's get some breakfast before we head out for our next session."

She rolled her eyes and smiled a thank you at me.

BPOV

Man I was tired. After a terrible night's sleep, a minor freak out about mine and Edward's sleeping arrangements and a heavy breakfast, I really needed a nap.

We made our way to the conference center, separating at the entrance heading to our own classes.

I made it through both halves of the pre-lunch session. We were supposed to have two sessions per day, each session broken into two halves separated by lunch. They were called "pre-lunch session" and "post-lunch session".

_The guys who came up with the names for the sessions are geniuses, I tell you, _Miss Carefree said, her words laced in sarcasm.

_We are here for training, not for debating the names of the training sessions,_ Miss Responsible returned with a patronizing tone.

Those two were getting on my very last nerve. I needed sleep and neither was helping me with my cause.

The first half of the sessions were the only important parts, the second were just a waste of our time. The instructors basically repeated themselves over and over again, but would then add the boring effect of slides, graphs and pie charts.

I was seriously considering bowing out of the second half of the post-lunch session. They didn't take attendance and no one would miss me really.

We finally broke for lunch and I was glad for the change. I wasn't sure I could stay awake long enough to make it this far. I grabbed a coffee and water from the cafeteria, not hungry for anything more.

I sat alone at a small table in the corner, pulling my cell phone out seeing there were four missed calls and two voicemails. Jessica, Alice and Rose had all called me at some point in the last 24 hours. I dialed my voicemail to see which one of them bothered leaving a message.

"Miss Swan, this is Jessica. We must have gotten disconnected. Please call me back. The motel needs to know as soon as possible if you're taking the room."

Hell, I forgot I had put Jessica on hold yesterday morning. But Edward's hand had had a firm grip on my knee and his words a firm grip on my throbbing libido.

Erasing Jessica's message, I waited for the second.

"Bella…I mean, Miss Swan… _please_ call me back. I haven't heard from you and the guy at the motel tells me someone is trying to reserve the room…Please call me as soon as you can!" She had freaked out; her voice was tense and full of anxiety.

I erased the second message and ended the call. I felt a little bad for making her worry. I hadn't thought twice about her once Edward and I were together.

Finding the number for her extension in my contacts, I called her.

"Good Morning, Miss Swan's office, this is Jessica, how can I help you?"

"Jessica, its Bella."

"Bella…Oh my goodness, are you okay? You never called me back. The motel had to give the room to someone else. Did you find somewhere to stay?"

I laughed a little under my breath. Jessica would freak if she knew that I was sharing a room with Edward. "Jessica, calm down, I'm fine. Yes, I found a room. The hotel was very helpful," I lied.

Jessica was one of the girls in the office who liked to spread gossip, so I wasn't going to give her any fuel.

"Oh, well, that's great…good…I'm glad?" she said, her tone questioning.

Changing the subject, I went into boss-mode, "Jessica, do I have any messages?"

"Only one, from Mr. Morgan. He said he needed to talk to you about his project, but that it could wait until you got back on Monday."

"Okay, that sounds good. Thank you, Jessica. I will see you on Monday then."

I hung up with Jessica and figured I would just text Alice and Rose.

_**Got 2 Chicago alrite. Bags r lost of course. Shopped all by myself. Room situation strange. Will fill u n on details l8r. luv u! ~ B**_

I dropped my phone back into my purse and slouched down into my chair pretending to read my book. I watched the other groups of trainees break off into small cliques, laughing and joking with one another. I looked down at my book to try to get lost for a little while.

My phone beeped an alert as a text came through.

_**Lost bags, that sux! Yay 4 r ltl Bella 2 shop by herslf! Send me pics! Rose says HI ~ xoxo Ali**_

I chuckled a little at her message. Alice always cracked me up in her texts. She tried to speak "LOL Cat" and it was just annoying, sounding more like Yoda than cute captioned cats.

I felt an electrifying buzz run warmly through my body before I looked up and I saw Edward walking into the cafeteria. Our co-worker Tanya was hot on his heels, but he didn't seem to notice her. She shouted a bit to get his attention. That got MY attention.

I watched as Edward cringed and turned in her direction, but not before he corrected his expression. He was trying to be polite, that much was obvious. I wondered briefly what their history was. She stepped closer to him and placed her hand on his forearm as she spoke, batting her overly mascaraed eyes.

_Bitch,_ Miss Carefree and Miss Responsible both screeched in tandem.

Watching her touch him, no matter how innocent it appeared, sent rush of jealousy coursing through me. I wasn't sure where it came from. Sure, I liked Edward. I thought he was a sweet gentleman who also happened to be fuckhot! But to be jealous of them?

_It's 'cause you like him,_ Miss Carefree sang in a silly sing-song voice.

But to be clear, Tanya _was_ the office slut. And the office gossip was that Edward got around a bit. Maybe they were together.

_No, he said he didn't have a girlfriend,_ Miss Responsible added as a reminder.

I rolled my eyes at her because she acted like she didn't care, but I knew that she really did. She needed to get laid just like the rest of us.

Okay, so maybe they're not "together" together. But she seemed to be very interested in the response she was waiting for.

_That makes three of us,_ The Girls both chimed in.

Edward's expression was one of boredom as he removed Tanya's hand from his arm. He said something to her, shaking his head. I couldn't hear his response because of the loud buzz of the room.

She spat something back at him before flipping her bleached blonde hair over her shoulder and turning on her heel to go back the same way from which she came.

Edward widened his eyes and appeared to blow a gust of air out of his puffed up cheeks. He looked more relieved than upset.

I stared at him before his soul piercing eyes met mine from across the room, like magnets drawn to one another. I quickly glanced down at my book, blushing. Peeking back up, I could see a sexy smirk on his face as he got in line to get his lunch. I wondered what he was smiling about. I had to leave, to try and make sense of the feelings that were floating all around me.

_And to get a fucking nap!_ Miss Carefree bitched.

EPOV

_Must. Get. Sleep._ It had become my mantra. I was running on _maybe_ a total of two hours of sleep and a fuckton of coffee. It didn't take me long to decide that I was leaving before the second half of my post-lunch session. That should buy me at good two hours, maybe three, before Bella came back to the room.

I shuffled my feet, making my way down the hall to my room. _Fuck, this is a long hallway._ I swiped my card and practically tripped into the room. Toeing off my shoes by the sofa, I tossed my suit jacket across the arm. I removed my tie and unbuttoned the first few buttons at the top. I started to roll my sleeves up, before I heard a noise at the door.

Turning around, I noticed an equally worn-out Bella slide into the room. She was early, really early. She must have decided to skip the second session too.

She looked up at me in surprise before she smiled a weary smile. "Hi. I thought you would still be out."

"No. I'm really tired. I almost fell asleep during the first sessions," I admitted.

She giggled, a sound I wanted to hear more of. "Yeah, me too. I was coming back to get a nap."

"Me too," I smiled sadly.

She caught the look on my face before I could correct it.

"You go ahead and take the bed. I'll take the sofa for a nap," she chattered quickly.

I was in no mood to argue and that bed was so soft when I sat on it this morning. But, being the gentleman that I am, I had to give her a chance to back out before I conceded.

"Are you sure Bella? I-"

"Yes, I'm sure! You have been sweet enough to let me stay with you. It's your room. Take the bed," she smiled, lighting up the room.

"Okay, if you insist," I said as I raised my left eyebrow.

"I insist."

I thanked her and made my way to the bedroom. I lay down on top of the made bed and settled in for a short nap. Sleep found me quickly.

I was awakened by a loud crashing noise, followed by tiny tinkling sounds. I could hear Bella from behind the closed door of the bathroom moving around and cursing under her breath. I got up quickly and knocked on the door waiting for her response. She cracked the door open and looked up at me with a scrunched up face.

"Edward, I'm so sorry! I was trying to be quiet when-"

I laughed a little at her expression but kept it together enough to see if she was okay. She giggled at the situation and shook her head, laughing harder as time passed.

I was glad for the comic relief. We were going to be spending several nights together in this suite and getting more comfortable with each other was important. We both moved to the bedroom, still laughing.

Glancing at the clock, I noticed I slept a little longer than I had intended. My stomach rumbled, reminding me that I had skipped out on food for lunch, opting for more coffee instead.

Bella heard my stomach and giggled again. "Are you hungry?"

"Yes. I skipped lunch and now I'm starving." I blushed a little at my response.

"Me too." She smiled shyly, not quite making eye contact with me.

I thought about the plans I had made to walk to one of my favorite low key restaurant for dinner and decided to invite her.

"Bella, did you know that I'm originally from Chicago?"

"Really? No, I didn't know that," she said unconvincingly, further avoiding my eyes.

I smirked at her response, because she was a terrible liar, "Yep, born and raised. I know all the great places to go that the tourists typically miss." I was warming myself up into asking her out. I didn't typically get nervous around women, but for some reason Bella had my stomach in knots. Would she accept? I really didn't know. I could only ask and see. "There's this great little place a few blocks from here. Italian. I was going to walk down and have dinner there. Would you like to join me?"

Chancing a glance up at me, she smiled at the expression on my face. It had to be a mix of question, concern and probably need.

"I would love to go, Edward. Italian's my favorite."

We moved around one another throughout the suite, getting ready for our dinner together. Bella was in the bathroom finishing up. I sat down on the hard sofa and turned on the TV.

When she was finished, Bella walked into the living room. She took my breath away. Her hair was pulled back in a very low, loose ponytail that swept across her right shoulder and slightly covered her breast. She looked innocent, yet sexy in her skinny jeans and white sleeveless blouse that gathered at her waist. But the shoes she wore…_ungh_, those shoes. They were simple, but had a little bow at the top of the open toe. _Fuck!_ They made me want to rip every piece of clothing from her, _except_ for those shoes. I imagined them digging into my ass as I pounded relentlessly inside her against the wall.

I had to get a hold of myself if was going to make it through this dinner.

I held my elbow out for Bella to grab onto my arm. She smiled shyly but hooked her hand through without hesitation, making me feel ten feet tall.

We walked, linked together, through the warm, windy streets of Chicago, making our way to Marianos.

It may have been a tiny little place, but their food spoke volumes. The "Mom and Pop" business had been passed down for several generations, but the food always stayed the same high quality that the locals expected.

We were greeted by an overly friendly hostess with a thick Italian accent. She was staring at me with lust filled eyes. She was pretty, but I didn't find her of any interest. Bella's beauty outshined anyone else around her.

"Two?" she cooed as she eyed Bella and then me, trying to figure out what was going on between the two of us.

_Ooooooh, I hadn't thought about it…but this could be fun. _I smiled to myself.

I had spent several years learning Italian as a second language, as well as spending some time abroad. Learning the language was fun because I was interested in the culture. But right about now, I was seeing a very large plus to knowing the sensual language fluently.

Placing my hand on the small of her back, I led Bella to follow the hostess who had started to seat us in the center of the large room. The table looked to seat six comfortably. I wanted privacy and wouldn't take no for an answer.

I quickly slipped her a twenty and asked quietly, "Qualcosa un po' più privato per favore?"

She blinked at me with wide eyes for a moment before she looked down at her hand and back up at me. She glanced to my right and eyed Bella up and down. She responded with her eyes knit, "certo."

I looked down at Bella and couldn't help but smirk at her expression. Her eyes were wide in question as she bit on her bottom lip. _If she knew what that did to me, she might be apt to changing that habit. Or maybe not...one could hope!_

With my hand still on her back, I leaned down to whisper into her ear, my lips lightly touching the shell, "venire ora bel Bella, la cena attende". She quickly pulled in a breath of air and held it as her body shuddered. Feeling bold, and maybe a bit crazy, I bent further and placed a light kiss her bare shoulder. Her scent was intoxicating.

I had to give her a slight push to get her to move from her frozen position. I chuckled at the daze that I seemed to put her in.

We were seated at a small table in the far corner of the restaurant. Looking around it appeared that, between the money and sweet talking, I had gotten us a nice secluded table.

Our waiter greeted us in Italian, handing us each a menu. He was the typical Italian 30-something, tall, olive skin, dark hair and just oozing sex from his pores. I resolved to keep a close eye on him.

He took our drink order and started to murmur low in his native Italian. He placed his hand on the back of Bella's chair and his gaze lingered on her a little longer that I liked. The crude remarks he was spouting at my Bella _(my Bella?)_ had me more than pissed.

She didn't seem to notice his ogling and just smiled up at him politely, not understanding a single word.

I cleared my throat to get his attention. When he didn't look up, I decided to take action. "La mia amica ed amerei sapere che i suoi piatti principali speciali sono questa sera," I questioned.

He stood up stock straight with an expression mixed with shock, embarrassment and apology on his face. "Prego," he started in Italian and then switched over to English for Bella's sake. "Yes, of course, our specials for this evening. We have a delicious wild mushroom ravioli in white buttered sauce and our house special three cheese lasagna with marinara sauce."

We both ordered the ravioli and our waiter quickly disappeared into the kitchen.

Bella had been fairly quiet since we had been seated, except when she placed her order. Her eyes bounced around the room, looking at the art on the walls and occasionally at the other patrons.

"Is everything okay, Bella?"

She finally looked up into my eyes, blinking when she answered, "What? Oh, yes, I'm fine." And then she blushed.

I reached across the table and lightly swept my thumb across her heated pink cheek. She closed her eyes and sighed at our contact. I moved my hand away, picking up my glass of wine. _I really needed to keep my hands to myself._

When she opened her eyes they were a few shades darker than her usual chocolate brown. "Edward…when did you learn to speak Italian?" she whispered, her blush darkening.

"I loved the culture and thought the language sounded cool when I was in high school." We both laughed. "So I took it three out of my four years there and then again all four years of college. I later spent some time traveling throughout Italy. It's a beautiful country. Have you been?"

She shook her head no.

"You should go some day."

She nodded in agreement.

Over dinner we got to know each other a little better. I spoke more of my time in Italy. She seemed especially interested in all the things I had done while there. Her facial expressions were adorable as I retold some of my more grand stories. I told her about my family and how my parents couldn't conceive again after I was born. I told her about where I grew up and the places I had been. Being the only child of an already well-to-do family allowed me more freedom than most children.

We laughed together at some of my crazy stories. Bella mused about her childhood in a small town and being the daughter of the chief of police.

She told me all about her family and how she was an only child as well. Her parents were divorced but happily remarried to their "true loves". Her smile was beautiful and genuine as she told me that she thought I was sweet and down-to-earth, even though I was a spoiled brat. I laughed in mock sadness at her with my hand over my heart as she poked fun at me.

Bella admitted that she had noticed me around the office. I told her the same. We both blushed at our admission. She also told me about the ridiculous gossip about my "man-whoring ways" that was spreading around the office. I balked at the outrageous details that were so untrue. She seemed slightly uncomfortable about the subject, so I did my best to calm her nerves. "Bella, I'm afraid that I have more of a reputation than I have experience." She giggled, a sound of which I had come to adore. We talked more about the office and our work.

She told me about her two best friends, who seemed to be so much more different than her. I expressed as much, but she only responded that they helped bring her out of her shell.

I told her about my friends and suggested we all get together when we returned to Seattle. She seemed to like the idea. We learned that we only lived a few blocks away from each other. Turned out, I actually ran her street on my morning jog. I wondered which place was hers.

Our table, long cleared of our dinner, only held our empty bottle of wine…the last of which was in our glasses. As our conversations got longer and deeper we drew closer to one another both emotionally and physically. We were leaned into one another, eyes locked and genuine smiles in place.

The waiter interrupted us for the fourth time and broke us from our conversation yet again. Looking around, I realized that we were the only patrons left in the restaurant. The floors were clear of everything but tables that held chairs, now up-side-down, across their tops. I thanked the staff and we exited onto the side walk, heading back toward our hotel.

After our wonderful evening and a full bottle of wine, I was feeling a little brave. I took Bella's hand in my own and kissed her soft skin. Pulling her hand down and lacing our fingers together I refused to release her. I looked into her eyes, "Bella, thank you for a wonderful evening."

She blushed and looked down at the sidewalk. Slowly she brought her gaze back up to mine. Chocolate brown met emerald green and we both stood there staring for a moment. "Thank you for dinner."

I blinked to break our gaze. We weren't going to be moving anytime soon, if one of us didn't break the haze that seemed to fall around us. "You're welcome."

We walked hand in hand, fingers entwined, back to our hotel. I wondered briefly what would come of tonight. Pushing those thoughts back, I maneuvered us through the darkened streets back to our plush hotel.

The doorman held the door for Bella and me. We did not break contact as we walked through the opened door. Once in the lobby, we released hands and I placed mine on the small of her back to guide her toward the elevator lobby.

The mood around us intensified as we both realized we would be alone together in our room soon. _Was she as turned on as I was? I had never felt so much intensity toward a woman. Did she want this? I certainly did._

The elevator doors opened and we silently entered the empty lift. I pressed our floor and went to stand beside her. When the doors closed the small cab seemed to fill with an electrifying buzz. Our arms brushed together and I had to think about something other than her so close to me. My cock strained against the zipper of my jeans, trying to escape its confinement.

I took a chance to look down at Bella. She was watching me. Our eyes met and nothing else mattered. The space tightened around us. We both turned toward one another, our eyes not breaking contact, our bodies pressed together even further.

"Bella…" I whispered, leaning closer to her. I bent slightly and wrapped my arms around her waist.

"Edward…" she spoke, washing my wet lips with the warmth of her breath. Her tiny hands were splayed across my broad chest, the heat from them melting my resolve to go slow. She bit her bottom lip before releasing and licking it.

I glanced from her eyes, to her lips, and back up to her eyes. They were hooded with lust as I pressed in further, attempting to close the gap between us.

With our lips millimeters apart, the lift stopped and the doors opened.

_Fucking hell!_

We broke away from our embrace but stayed close to one another.

A group of about six girls entered the lift. Their deafening noise broke the bubble that Bella and I had been encapsulated within. They were each dressed in little more than bandage sized swim suits, no doubt on their way up to the hotel's amazing rooftop pool.

Bella stiffened beside me as the girls openly and shamefully eye-fucked me. They giggled at their ogling and whispered to each other. Their secrets caused loud laughter that sounded like cackling hens.

Bella's hand grabbed mine, which I gave her without question, lacing our finger together as she pressed further into my side. Some of the girls lost interest in their blatant behavior and turned around. A few of them continued to stare me down like I was a piece of meat for the taking.

Tightening her hold on my hand, Bella huffed in annoyance. It seemed that the girls were making her uncomfortable and maybe a little jealous. I smiled down at her as she stared down the group of oglers. I lightly pressed my lips down onto the top of her head, to attempt to calm her. To assure her that these type of woman had no hold on me. That she was the type of woman that I saw by my side.

The girls seemed amused at my kiss and rolled their eyes.

Before I had a chance to respond, Bella stepped in front of me, facing me. She placed her arms over my shoulders locking her hands behind me as my hands instinctively wrapped around her waist. She looked deeply into my eyes before closing hers and pressing her lips against mine lightly.

Surprised, I sucked in a breath of air and released it loudly in a moan as I gave in completely to the kiss.

The girls around us seemed to disappear and Bella was all I could see, hear, smell, taste and feel.

**Don't you hate it when authors stop just when it's getting good? I do too, but I realize it may keep you coming back. (Gives you a cheesy grin)**

**FYI: I'm posting links on my page, so you can see Bella's dinner outfit and shoes.**

***~*Thank you...**_**thank you**_** to my super awesome beta's, batgirl8968 & LouderThanSirens! You fix my stupid overuse of commas and lack of dialogue punctuation. I am **_**fail **_**without you!*~***

**Here are the translations from Italian to English:**

**"Qualcosa un po' più privato per favore?" - "Something a little more private please?"**

**"Certo" - "Of course"**

**"Venire ora, la mia Bella" – "Come now beautiful Bella, dinner awaits"**

**"Prego" - "pardon me"**

**"La mia amica e me amerei sapere che sono suoi piatti principali speciali questa sera" - "My girlfriend and I would like to know what your special entrees are this evening"**


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: I'm **_**sorry**_** I took so long to post this chapter. I'm new to writing, so this partial lemon was hard on me (and Edward – teehee).**

**I need to give my betas a special acknowledgment because without these two you probably wouldn't want to read my scribble. Thank you…**_**thank you **_**to batgirl8968 & LouderThanSirens for all your help! Goodness knows you work hard to make me readable.**

**Disclaimer: I can only wish to have dreamt up Edward and Bella but I did not. You can thank Stephenie Meyer for that awesomeness. I did, however, come up with this story line. Please don't steal it.**

**WARNING: This FF is rated M for citrusy goodness. If you are not old enough to buy cigarettes in the United States, it means you are under the age of 18 years old and are in the wrong FanFiction. I'm sorry. **

Chapter 5

BPOV

The world disappeared around us. I ran my tongue over his bottom lip, seeking entrance. He opened to me freely, allowing me to deepen our connection. Our tongues danced lightly as our bodies pulled closer together. I tightened my hold on him and ran my fingers through his hair. Tightening his grip around my waist, he lifted me off the floor enough so that I could only stand on the tip of my toes. Our change in position pressed his erection tightly into my stomach and he moaned into my mouth. I thrilled at the thought that I caused that moan.

He wrapped his strong hand around my left thigh and lifted it around his hip. He brought his hands down to my ass and lifted me further, my legs tightly wrapping around him completely. My heated core was pressed deliciously right against his hard cock. My fingers sunk into his tousled hair, pulling him even deeper into my mouth.

The elevator chimed, slowly breaking us from the passionate kiss we were both so completely wrapped in. I loosened my legs and with his hands on my thighs, he lowered my feet to the floor. We stared into each others eyes for a brief second. The look he gave me was irrefutable - just like the straining erection in his pants. He wanted this…he wanted me.

Surprisingly, neither Responsible Bella nor Carefree Bella had uttered a peep during my blatant PDA. Okay, so PDA wasn't quite accurate, it was more like me throwing myself at him. But who was I kidding? _Look at him._ I briefly wondered if I had sent them into shock. I had certainly shocked myself. _Who was this Bella? This wasn't me. I didn't do things like this._

Without a word he wrapped his hand around my own and turned, pulling me from the lift into the long hallway. Before the doors closed I turned to the girls, who were standing stock still with gaped mouths, watching us.

"G' night." I smiled and giggled, wiggling my fingers. Then I turned, allowing Edward to basically drag me to _our_ room.

Getting to really know Edward over the past two days was eye opening, especially over dinner. His sweet behavior only added to the growing list of things I was beginning to like so much about him.

_Not to mention that when he spoke in Italian we could barely keep our panties on, _Miss Carefree loudly whispered from her hiding place.

_What was she doing over there?_ I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

She was right though…the Italian was pretty hot! I had no clue what he was saying but it didn't matter. He could have told me he was a vampire and wanted to keep me as his blood bank – a virtually endless supply of blood on tap – and I couldn't have cared less. I would have followed him willingly. I was under his spell.

It was obvious that the office gossip was exactly that - gossip. Edward was a gentleman through and through. He continued to prove that to me during our brief stay in Chicago.

When I entered our room earlier that afternoon the look on his face was one of exhaustion. He almost seemed disappointed that I too had arrived early to get a nap. He had been so sweet to give up his comfort for me. I had to let him have the bed, even for just a little while.

He had fallen asleep fast and was asleep for quite a while. I, however, couldn't get comfortable enough to sleep. I made my way to the bathroom to freshen up. I felt terrible for making so much noise and waking him up. I could be such a klutz sometimes. Knocking over _every_ available bottle, tube, and container on the bathroom sink and helplessly watching them tumble to the floor was very typical behavior for me. But he was so sweet and didn't seem at all bothered by it - even making jokes to lighten the mood. Truth be told I was glad he was awake because I wasn't able to stand the quiet of the room or another minute on that hard-ass sofa. I had no idea how he slept on that thing last night. It was certainly not intended to have an overnight guest.

As we continued down the hall, I grew more and more embarrassed at my elevator antics. What would he think of me? I wasn't usually that type of girl. Something about him made me _want_ to be. I mean, sure, there were other men in my past – not many, only two to be exact – and they were few and far between. I was always in a relationship before I went any further with a guy. That was me, always being Responsible Bella.

Miss Carefree giggled and came prancing around a Chinese themed privacy screen, coming back into full view. She had quickly changed into a tiny baby-doll nightie trying to convince me that I could, _indeed_, be that type of girl.

Edward swiped the card in the door and tugged my hand a little, pulling me from my internalizing. The door closed with a soft click behind me. The room was illuminated softly by a small lamp next to the sofa.

Taking a slow step toward me Edward brought his hand up to push a stray lock of hair back from my face, curling it around my ear. His soft touch was electrifying. I looked up into his intensely green eyes - they shone with passion. Holding my eyes with his own, he raised an eyebrow in question.

Miss Carefree bounced on her toes quietly with her hands clasped under her chin, waiting to see what I would do.

My eyes must have reflected the same intensity I was receiving from Edward's, because I soon found myself pressed tightly against the door behind me. He spread my legs with his thigh and leaned further into me, his hands resting beside my head against the door. He continued to gaze into my eyes as his lips slowly descended down to mine. I felt my stomach flip-flop and my heart flutter. When our lips came together my eyes fluttered closed and I lost myself in the kiss.

This kiss was different than the one we shared in the elevator. That kiss was because I was a selfish, jealous bitch and didn't want anyone to have what I wanted. I didn't like to share.

_Did I want Edward? _The answer was an unequivocal _yes_. _Did Edward want me?_ Well it certainly seemed so.

Our elevator kiss was nice, passionate and most of all unexpected. It was pleasant, don't get me wrong, but I think I more or less attacked Edward and he had no say in the matter. Well, I guess he _could_ have pushed me away – but lucky for me he didn't.

This kiss was so much different than any other I'd experienced in my life. I had never felt this way when kissing any man, ever. I only thought about it for a second before I pushed it to the back recesses of my mind. I was doing this…I liked this…I wasn't going to stop. Our mouths were enthusiastic yet gentle as our tongues met, darting and teasing. Our lips fit together perfectly, as if they were always meant to be this way. Having him so close was intoxicating. Our tongues glided smoothly, lightly playing at first, growing with more vigor as time slipped by. I forgot how to breathe. I didn't want to breathe. I only wanted Edward…here…now…this…more!

I moved my hands to grasp his hair causing him to inhale a ragged breath through his nose. My grip in his hair must have spurred him on. Edward grabbed my thighs and with strong hands lifted my legs over his hips holding me in place between the door and his taut body. I tightened my hold of his hair causing him to moan in pleasure into my mouth. He ground his hard cock into me in a delightfully slow rhythm causing my eyes to roll back into my head.

Edward gently pulled his lips away from mine, moving them only far enough to kiss across my jaw line. I could feel his nose skim across my cheek, breathing me in. I turned my head a little to give him better access to my neck. My breathing was fast and shallow as he made his way to the sensitive spot on my neck, behind my ear, kissing and teasing the delicate flesh. He then dragged his soft lips across the shell of my ear making me to whimper.

He began rubbing himself against my throbbing center making my back slide effortlessly against the door. His hot breath came in short pants across my neck as his hands moved to explore my curves.

He pulled back slightly and pressed our foreheads together, looking deeply into my hooded eyes.

"Bella?" he whispered his plea. He didn't wait for my answer before pressing his lips against mine once again.

"Hmmmm?" I tried to respond through another kiss.

"Please… please tell me this is OK," he murmured against my lips. His body was still tight against mine, pressing his jean clad member further into my throbbing core.

My senses were lost on everything except the man pressed against me.

"Yes, Edward," I whispered. "Yes…please." I wasn't quite sure what I was begging for but I knew the outcome would be in both our favor. Our mouths came together again with an urgent need.

Through our passionate kiss his hand slowly made its way to my breasts, caressing the weight. His thumb swept across my fabric covered nipple causing me to moan in pleasure. He carefully palmed my breast as his tongue moved to attack my neck. His mouth then nibbled up the curve of my jaw line before coming back up to my lips. He released my breast and I whimpered at the loss of his touch. The corner of his lips turned up in a smile, through our kiss.

"Patience, sweet girl," he murmured. "Patience."

I delighted at his choice of words. _Sweet girl._ I liked it...a lot.

His hand drifted lower, pulling the bow that held my shirt closed. The cool air that hit my breasts as he opened my shirt was a welcome sensation to my heated body. He pulled back slightly to watch his own movements. Sliding his fingers across the cups of my new lacey bra he smiled. "Very pretty." I could only assume he approved of my earlier purchase. Looking back up into my eyes he brought his lips closer to mine but not touching.

"Bella," he whispered, his lips vibrating against mine. "You are so beautiful. You have no idea how long I've wanted this. How much I've wanted you."

I flushed at his words. Had he really wanted me as long as I'd wanted him? No man had ever made me feel so sexy, especially in such a short amount of time. This connection I already had with Edward seemed familiar and comfortable, yet new and exciting.

"Really?" I asked.

He only shook his head, causing our noses to rub together.

I decided to let go of the responsible, controlling person I had grown into and let the night run its natural course. Although this wasn't something I had ever done, it felt right with Edward. Throwing away what was left of my doubt I pressed my lips to his again loving the feel of them against my own. He tilted his head, deepening our kiss.

Pulling me tighter against him with one arm, Edward moved us away from the door only to press me firmly against the adjacent wall. The sudden change in surface surprised me and I exhaled loudly. He pulled back from our kiss and looked at me with concerned eyes. "I'm sorry. Did I hurt you?"

I smiled at him, loving the genuine concern he had for me. "No, you just surprised me. A very good surprise," I replied.

He leaned into me - his mouth just a hairsbreadth away from my lips - smiling his sexy crooked smile and melting my insides. He rubbed my arm, silently asking me to remove my hands from his hair while he unclasped the front of my bra with his one free hand. His warm breath caressed my wet lips. His strong hands pulled my shirt over my shoulders, removing it and my bra completely in one smooth motion.

_Goody!_ Miss Carefree exclaimed from her cushy chair. She was shaking her head in approval while eating a bowl of popcorn as if watching a scene from her favorite movie.

We shared breaths, our lips still barely connecting as his warm hands moved slowly across my back, just feeling me. The simple touch caused my panties to dampen. I moved my hands to the front of his shirt, popping the first three buttons open easily. Because of our position, the remaining buttons proved to be my downfall, not wanting to budge from their prison. My hands moved to his back to pull his shirt tails from his jeans, not wanting to fumble around with impossible buttons any longer.

I slipped my hands under his shirt to feel his overheated skin. While running my fingers up from his back, around to his abs and across his chest, I marveled at the chiseled splendor that was pure Edward. I had seen him shirtless last night but exploring the ridged lines with my own fingers was beyond words. He pulled away slightly tugging behind his head at the collar of his shirt and slipping it over his head. I drank in the sight of his chest so close to mine. The light line of hair that trailed down into his jeans tickled my sensitive skin. He ran the pad of his thumb over my bottom lip, silently demanding I look into his eyes. He quirked an eyebrow at me before I moved in, our bare chests pressed together tightly as our lips collided once again.

Edward thrust his covered erection against me, my back slid higher up the wall. I grabbed his shoulders to keep our close contact. With one final upward thrust of his hips, Edward's hands splayed across my ass, pulling me away from the wall entirely. With our mouths still connected, Edward started walking us to the bedroom. My doubt came creeping back in, making me wonder if we were moving too fast.

_No...not too fast,_ Miss Carefree whimpered.

I inwardly rolled my eyes at her. She was only thinking with one _very wet_ part of our body at the moment.

Were we ready for sex? I wasn't sure.

He gently placed me on the edge of the bed to sit. He kneeled down and softly caressed my calf while removing my heels, before standing to toe off his own shoes. When he finished, I moved around to lie down before he slid up beside me, wrapping me in his strong arms. Looking into my eyes, Edward whispered, "Bella."

I looked into his lust filled eyes but couldn't respond.

"Bella, we don't have to do anything else…anything more. This is more than enough."

Relief washed over me as I realized that he was okay with only going so far tonight. He wasn't going to push us into something we may not have been ready for.

He licked his lips and glanced between my eyes and my mouth; he was going to kiss me again. I leaned up to meet him half way. I moved my hands across his back feeling the muscles tighten and release with his movements.

Our semi-chaste make out session continued but had me aching for more. I needed more friction.

I slowly began sliding my hands around to his chest, gliding them through the light hair. Deciding to be brave I moved my hand across his abs, feeling them contract at my touch. As my fingers moved lower our kisses grew stronger and our breathing more ragged. I ran my fingers underneath the waist of his jeans feeling the band of his boxers.

Edward pulled away from our kiss and looked at me with concern. "Bella?" he questioned.

"We won't get carried away. I just want to…_feel _you. Please?"

Staring deeply into my eyes he nodded his head before turning to watch my hands unbutton his jeans. Once I finished I didn't wait long to find my goal. Edward rested his forehead against mine as I pressed my palm firmly against his covered cock. He hissed sharply, as if he has been holding his breath for a while. I took it as a good sign and immediately dipped into his boxers to feel him unhindered. He was so hard and huge; bigger than any I had ever experienced. I was thrilled and a little frightened at the though of how big he was.

Responsible Bella and Miss Carefree both watched with saucer sized eyes while their mouths gaped like goldfish. I think they were thinking the same thing I was thinking.

Before I knew what was really happening, Edward rolled onto his back and away from me.

I looked up at him in shock.

He smiled at me sheepishly before pulling his jeans off completely; leaving him only in his boxers.

I smiled and gave him a slight nod before he moved to discard my jeans.

We laid facing each other in nothing but our underwear.

He rubbed my hip while pulling me into his chest, staring deeply into my lust filled eyes. I ran my hand down his side moving back into his boxers toward his hardened member. With a firm grip I rubbed my thumb over the swollen head, spreading the precum that had escaped. His breathing became labored before he pulled me tighter to his bare chest, trapping my hand around his cock and preventing any further movements.

His lips met mine in the most heated kiss we had shared to this point. Releasing my mouth, he kissed across my cheek softly until he reached my earlobe. He grasped it between his teeth with a deep growl coming from his chest. "Bella, I can't _not_ get carried away when you do stuff like that."

_Growling?_ _Hmmm…surprisingly, I liked that_.

I hummed my amusement and smiled sweetly at him. Maybe I _could_ do this. As I started to giggle he loosened his hold of me and gave me a sexy smirk. Playful Edward was on the move. Now able to move, I grasped his face between my hands and kissed him sweetly as we kept eye contact. His intense green eyes were darkened with lust and had me hypnotized.

He lay beside me and lightly tickled my stomach and side. I tensed when he came across a particularly ticklish spot. My hands once again found purchase in his messy hair as his fingers moved to the top of my panties and he traced the line of my stomach just beneath the hem. I hiked my leg over his thigh to allow his hand to roam freely. He cupped my heat and I whimpered. I grabbed his shoulders and shifted my hips toward him, silently telling him what I wanted…what I needed. He slid my panties over slightly and glided his fingers across my lips.

"You're so fucking wet, Bella," he growled.

Without warning he dipped a finger into me as he pressed his lips to mine. I opened, granting him access to both my mouth and my core. My hips moved in rhythm with his time as he added a second finger. He broke away from our kiss and licked his way down to my breasts, give each equal attention.

Not wanting him to feel left out, I moved one hand from his shoulder and moved to grasp his rock hard erection. He bucked his hips forward needing friction. Feeling its weight in my hand combined with his fantastic finger action, had me on the edge. Our sensual foreplay had me ready to give in. Edward must have sensed my need because he quickly added a third finger and curled them expertly toward the spot I needed most while rubbing his thumb across my clit.

"Cum for me Bella," he whispered across my breasts. The words he breathed were hot and set my body on fire. I felt myself loosing what little control I had left.

Relinquishing control was foreign to me but I knew I was giving in. I no longer held the reigns. Edward had complete control and he took it expertly.

"Oooh!" I moaned.

Looking up he asked, "Right there? Yeah?" He looked deeply into my eyes before dipping back down to lave my breasts once again.

I couldn't respond but I think he knew my answer.

He kissed his way back up my chest and reached the corner of my mouth just in time for my orgasm to explode. I lost all sight and sound as my body reached its highest point of pleasure. Edward continued to pump me slowly as I came down from my high.

I felt bad for basically abandoning his extremely hard cock, but the faster he moved his fingers, the faster I lost all concentration. I opened my eyes to see him intensely watching me. "That was beautiful Bella. _You_ are beautiful." He grabbed my hips to pull me closer to him and his lips captured mine.

I wrapped my hand around him once again and started to stroke him slowly but with more intent than before. He moaned into my mouth as we deepened our kiss and I pushed on his shoulder to have him lie on his back. I leaned across his chest still stroking his cock slowly, gradually speeding with each pass.

I broke away from our kiss so I could see his face. With his eyes closed he quickly threw his head back in pleasure and grabbed the sheets with one hand, while the other was tight around my waist. He was the most handsome man I had ever seen, and seeing him like this – because of me– was beyond words.

While resting my head on his chest, I wavered as to which I wanted to see more, his beautiful face as I brought him to full pleasure or his huge cock as it met its metaphoric ending.

Because both my hands were free I chose to use it to my advantage. Well, both our advantage really. I reached down and cupped his balls with my free hand moving them softly as I swept my thumb around the tip of his cock on an upward stroke.

The grip Edward had on my waist tightened as his erection grew impossibly harder. He was close. "Bel…la… ffffuuck," he cried as I kissed along his tensed jaw bringing him to his release. I continued to kiss his neck and chest as his breathing slowly returned back to normal.

I had chosen correctly. Watching Edward's face - seeing him loose all control – was one of the sexiest things I had ever seen in my life.

He opened his eyes and looked down at me. With a slight smile he lifted his head up to kiss me properly.

"If that's us not getting carried away I can't wait to see what getting carried away will be like," he mumbled against my lips with a smile.

I smiled into our kiss before I snuggled my head into the nook of his shoulder. Looking down I realized that we were both a bit of a mess. I kissed his chest before I leaned up on one arm, intending to grab a towel from the bathroom. He tightened his hold on my waist, preventing me from moving away from him.

"And just where do you think _you're_ going?" he questioned with a smirk.

I leaned back down to give him a chaste kiss on his soft lips. "I'll be right back. We're both a little messy."

I smiled and looked down at his stomach. He lifted his head to look in the same direction before he dropped it back on the pillow. "Ok then," he conceded. "But hurry back."

I got up and quickly ran to the bathroom in nothing more than my panties, peeking back at Edward before I slipped through the door. He was the picture of ease, fully nude atop the bed with his hands resting behind his head while a small grin played across his face, his eyes watching me as I retreated.

oo-SIML-oo

"This bed is so much more comfortable than the sofa." Edward sighed as I snuggled against him. His arms wrapped around me, tucking me into his side. My leg instinctively lifted over his thigh.

We were so comfortable with each other so quickly, I didn't know what to make of it.

"I know," I replied. "I have no idea how you slept on that thing last night. I only used it for about an hour and couldn't get any rest."

He laughed. "I didn't get _any_ sleep last night. Between the hard sofa and-" He stopped mid sentence and I wondered why.

"And?" I pushed.

"And… well. Nothing. Nevermind."

I furrowed my brow in question, pouting my lips in hopes he would concede.

He smiled and kissed my forehead before he began again.

"Did you know you talk in your sleep?" he asked, pulling his head back to look down into my eyes.

I met his gaze and felt the blush of embarrassment across my cheeks.

Years ago my mom and dad both told me, on separate occasions, that I talked in my sleep. But that was a long time ago, when I was a teenager. As an adult living alone I had no cause for concern, nor was it something I thought about…until now. Usually the things that I said reflected the dream I was having at the time.

_What would I have I said last night that he might have heard? _

I thought back to the dream I had of Edward the night before and remembered in detail how vivid it was.

_Edward above me, moving in slow motion as his emerald eyes gazed down into my own with adoration. Our movements were expert against one another as only long time lovers would know._

Thinking about it _now_, I was a little nervous to share a room and possibly a bed with Edward. My sleep talking problems were probably anything _but_ adolescent in nature.

Edward's gruff chuckle brought me back to the bedroom and the topic at hand. I buried my burning face into his chest causing him to laugh more.

"Hey. Look at me."

I shook my head and pressed further into him. "Uh, uh."

"It's okay. It wasn't really bad, just…interesting."

"Oh no. What did I say?" I mumbled against his neck. I wasn't sure I wanted to know.

"You said my name."

_I said his name? Was that all?_

Probably not. He was being sweet and trying not to further my embarrassment.

I felt him press his lips to the crown of my head and sigh. "Bella?" he questioned with a whisper.

"Hmm?" I mumbled in return.

He pulled me closer, burying his face further into my hair. I could feel his warm breath saturate every strand as he exhaled.

"Bella, please look at me," he whispered.

I slowly tilted my head up to look into his eyes. He pushed the hair from my face. His gentleness with me and the emotions playing in his gaze soothed my concern.

"It only confirmed this connection I feel for you. Confirmed that you may feel something for me too."

He gently placed his hand above my breast, over my heart. "You feel it too. Don't you?"

I felt my blush starting from the apples of my cheeks only to break out into a full body blush. This good looking, sexy, god of a man basically admitted that he liked me – maybe had feelings for me. It was hard to wrap my mind around. But mostly I couldn't deny the way I felt about him either. Throughout our short trip he had only continued to confirm how great of a guy he really was.

His deep jade eyes searched my own, his question still lingering between us. I was so overwhelmed, I couldn't speak. I simply nodded in confirmation and hoped that he could see the sincerity in my own eyes.

A grin spilled across his face and his eyes brightened at my affirmation. His smile was contagious and I couldn't help but giggle and smile right along with him. He tucked my head into his chest with his chin resting on the top of my head. His arms encircled me, holding me tightly to him.

I released a contented sigh and snuggled deeply into his side. Closing my eyes, I took pleasure in knowing that it wasn't all in my head. That he felt something for me as well. What was it exactly? I wasn't sure. But for once in my life I chose not to control it. I chose to let it lead me, with hopes that it was something more right than I could ever dream.

**This story has an outline but I welcome ideas from my readers. Feel free to add ideas to your reviews or PM me. I might just add them to the storyline. I love you hear from you guys! Thanks so much for reading!**

**PS: you can find me on Twitter imheretoreview**


	6. Chapter 6

**A HUGE "Thank You" needs to go out to my betas! LouderThanSirens & batgirl8968, Thank You for all your help! Without your careful eyes, Edward could potentially have three arms!**

**Warning: This chapter is rated M for super sweet lemons. If you can't buy tickets (legally) to a rated 'R' movie, then you are too young to read this chapter. Sorry, bb's, but them's the breaks!**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer wrote and owns the Twilight Saga. I did NOT write, nor do I own, the Twilight Saga. I did, however, write and own this FF. I know they are awesome, but please don't steal my ideas. Kay? Thanks bye!**

**ONWARD!**

Chapter 6

BPOV

The dream seemed so real. I was kissing the hell of out Edward against _our _hotel room door. His hands were supporting me, holding me tightly between him and the door. I could feel his warmth, smell his clean scent all around me – I felt safe, secure and _wanted_.

My eyes fluttered open to find an unfamiliar room practically cloaked in darkness. I panicked for only a second before I remembered _where_ I was and - more importantly - _who_ I was with. I smiled at the memory of our previous night together and clutched my pillow, pressing my face further into it in an attempt to hide the giggle that bubbled to the surface.

The only problem? _My pillow moved._

It was then I realized that Edward _was_ my pillow. While my brain continued to awaken, I acknowledged that he and I were completely wrapped around one another. He held me so tightly against his chest I couldn't move anything more than my toes – even our legs were intertwined. His taut body warmed me more than any blanket could.

Being so deliciously close to him helped me remember our nakedness – well, except for my teeny tiny panties. But those didn't count though - they were barely a scrap of lace.

I must not have been as quiet as I had intended because I felt him begin to stir below me. His fingers tightened in my hair, causing me to gasp.

"Mmm, sorry," he hummed in his sleep filled voice.

He loosened his hold of my hair but continued to hold me tightly against him.

I was worried that our activities the previous night may have been wine induced - although we hadn't drank all that much. I hoped he didn't regret what had happened because I certainly did _not_. It may have been out of character for me, but I certainly enjoyed _letting go_.

Before I could begin to dwell too much on the negative, Edward's fingers began to gently massage my head until he reached the nape of my neck, tipping my head so our lips could connect. Although the room was too dark for me to see his face clearly, I could feel a smile play across his lips through our chaste kiss.

"Hey," he whispered after our brief kiss.

He pulled me tighter against his chest - tucking me under his chin - pressing tiny kisses across the crown of my head.

"Hey," I whispered into his chest in return. I skimmed my nose across his chest, breathing in his captivating scent, before lightly peppering him with kisses.

"Ummm…What are you doing awake? It's too early."

"Hmm?"

His question wasn't a hard one to answer, but there was something very hard pressed against my stomach that had distracted me.

I shifted my hips slightly to be sure that what I felt was what I _thought_ it was.

He groaned and pressed his erection further into my stomach.

I bit my lip to keep a moan from escaping, but I didn't fool him – he could feel and hear my breathing falter. He bucked his hips into me again, but with a little more intent.

I clutched him tightly while he loosened his grip to allow his hands to roam the curves of my body. Our mouths connected once again and were frantic against each other's.

I couldn't hold back if I wanted to.

"Why…Uh, Bella, you are so sexy," he said between kisses. "Why are you awake? Not that I'm complaining."

He pulled back slightly, giving me space to answer his question.

"A dream woke me up," I responded, pressing kisses down his neck.

He replied with a chuckle making his Adams Apple bob. "Yeah, you've been making some interesting noises all night."

"Ughhh. Shut up and kiss me again…ass."

"My pleasure, Miss Swan," he hummed with a smile against my lips.

The playfulness was new for me - but I liked it.

The butterflies in my stomach fluttered wildly as our late night – or was it early morning? – make out session grew more heated. He turned us and hovered over me, his chest pressed tightly against my breasts. His one hand knotted in my hair while the other caressed my thigh, coaxing it around his thigh. His mouth was on mine, forceful and deep, capturing our moans.

The only sounds in the room were our heavy breaths and the buzz of energy that pulsed between us…_through_ us.

He left a trail of hot kisses down my neck and I could feel him pull my hands from his shoulders. He intertwined our fingers and pushed my hands into the bed above our heads.

His tongue flicked over my left nipple as he managed to grasp my hands with his one, leaving his free hand to caress my right breast. Our hips were lined up perfectly and I felt his heavy erection slide along my covered heat.

_Damn these things_, Miss Carefree exclaimed. She came out of no where just to let me know how pissed off she was about the barrier of my panties. You would have thought after the amazing orgasm Edward gave me the previous night, she would have been at least a little sated.

He worked his tongue back up my neck and captured my mouth once again. He moved his hand further down - across my ribs, around my hip, over my stomach, down to…_oh_.

He pulled his lips away and looked down at me into my eyes – without words, he asked for my consent.

Moonlight slipped through the small opening between the drapes, giving just enough light for me to see Edward's beautiful face.

I answered him with a deep kiss.

His fingers slipped under my panties and lightly touched me – purposefully missing the place I wanted him most. I whimpered into his mouth and his lips stretched tight into a smile against my mouth.

"Edward, please?" I pleaded against his smile.

"What is it you want, sweet girl?" he whispered.

Again with the 'sweet girl'. _Gah,_ he was too sexy for his own good.

He pulled his small smile into his signature crooked grin that made him even sexier – if that were possible - and slipped his finger into my heat.

"You want this, Bella?" he whispered, using only the one finger.

I writhed under him, wanting more…needing more.

He pushed in slowly, adding another finger. "Is that what you wanted?"

My eyes closed and rolled back, my body relaxing even more at his gentle but commanding touch. I had to stop his movements – to tell him how much more I wanted.

"Edw-, oh, more, Edward, please…more. I need to feel you."

I opened my eyes to plead even more if I had to. At that point, I wasn't above begging.

His green eyed gaze was full of questions. Were we ready for this?

_Yes! I'm ready, I'm ready,_ Miss Carefree added while hopping around the room like a kid hyped up on pixie-stix.

My eyes were pleading. I couldn't believe this amazing man was above me, contemplating about what could possibly be the best night of my life.

With a shudder of his breath, he slipped his fingers from me and gripped his hand around the thigh I had wrapped around him.

"You. Please. I need to feel you inside me, Edward." I pushed my hips up and into his erection to drive my point home.

_You mean _his _point?_ Miss Carefree sniggered. I inwardly rolled my eyes at her…but also secretly agreed.

The grip he had on my hands tightened and his eyes darkened. He pushed further against my pussy, telling me he knew _exactly_ what I wanted.

"Bella…are you sure this is what you want?" The double entendre didn't slip my notice.

"Yes. I don't think I've ever wanted anything more."

"Me either. Fuck, Bella, I want you, too…so much."

He made that growl noise that sounded like thunder rumbling in his chest and started to slide off my panties. We worked together to get them down to my feet and then I kicked them off. He put his fingers between my legs again and groaned out loud, "I can't fucking slow down, Bella." His lips grew more feverishly against my own.

Miss Responsible cleared her throat from across the room, her arms folded across her chest, foot tapping.

Being spontaneous wasn't me…wasn't Responsible Bella – the personality I had adhered to all my adult life. But then? At that moment? I wasn't about to lose the feelings that coursed through me…between us. Although it was new, it just felt _right_ being with Edward in that moment. But I couldn't help the little nagging subconscious voice reminding me that I needed to take a moment – just a moment – to make sure we were _covered_.

I pulled back a little to get Edward's attention. He looked down at me, bewildered.

"Um, Edward, ahhh…just so you know…I- I'm on the pill…and I've only been with two...what I mean is, I've always used protection, but if you would be more comfortable we could use a condom as well." I bit my lip hard and peeked at him from half opened, scrunched up eyes because while being responsible was the right thing to do, there was just no sexy way to say what had to be said.

"Bella, we don't have to do th-"

My eyes widened in shock and I almost yelled my response. "No, that's not what I meant."

Relief passed across his eyes and relaxed his confused expression. He smirked and kissed me again before murmuring his response across my swollen lips.

"Bella, I don't have any condoms. I told you, this is new for me." He bit my bottom lip and tugged it into his mouth, sucking and kissing. He pulled back slowly to finish his thought. "And just so you know, I've always used protection too. I've always been careful. If you are sure this is what you want-" he punctuated his meaning with a hip thrust.

"It is. I trust you."

"Bella," he whispered with a smile before crashing his lips to mine yet again.

I pushed my hips against his, imploring. He moaned and I could feel the vibration of his groan through my lips.

I broke from our kiss and told him, "I want you, Edward."

He held his breath for a second before breathing out. "Say it again."

I gently smiled at him. "I. Want. You." Punctuating each word with a kiss.

Our bodies were lined up perfectly and he pressed his erection against me, sliding across my bare, wet lips. I grabbed his shoulders, wanting to keep him close. With our eyes locked, he pulled back once more resting on his elbows before pressing at my opening and slipping into me completely. He closed his eyes and pressed into me again, our lips connecting with a pulsing shock. My eyes screwed closed, my breath shuddered and stopped, while my nails dug into his back. He felt amazing.

He tried to pull away, perhaps to see if I was okay, but I held him tight and wrapped both legs around his thighs. My earlier thoughts about _us_ were magnified by one thousand. Our bodies fit together like matching puzzle pieces. We are so _right_ together. The blood surged through my body, flooding me with bliss.

I pulled in a deep breath and moved my hips against his. He pulled back slowly and pressed forward a little faster. I moved my hips in time with his. He felt so good. I wanted it to last forever.

He pulled away from my lips and kissed across my cheek, making a path to my ear. I could hear his heavy breaths coming faster. The entire length of his body ghosted across my own, our bodies pushing and pulling together.

I turned my head and whispered, "Slow. Edward, go slowly. I want to feel all of you. I want this to last."

He sighed into my neck and I felt him nod slowly before he slowed his movements. My hips continued to move in time with his, meeting his every thrust – growing faster as the minutes passed.

He let out a chuckle that sounded more like a groan and whispered into my ear, his hot breaths tickling the sensitive skin. "Bella, your words say you want it slow," he pushed faster and deeper into me making my breath catch, "but you're movements say you want it faster, beautiful. Tell me…uh…tell me what you want. You can have it. Whatever you want, it's yours, Bella."

I whimpered at his words. He was right. My mind was saying "slow" but my body said another thing entirely. Again he pushed into me faster…deeper. In the end, my body won out.

"Ah, Edward, faster. Uh, I need it faster…harder, please."

He grabbed my legs pulling them higher up and around his waist. The movement pushed him further into me, filling me like never before and the new position gave him full control over our movements.

Everything in that moment was right. The time, the place, Edward – everything.

I lost all control.

My orgasm hit me so fast and so hard, I wasn't wholly prepared for it, nor was I in control of the words that spilled from my mouth.

"Oh, Edward… There… Yes. Please, right there… Ah, I'm so fucking close. Uuuungh. Yes! Oh my ga-" My body quivered out of control, taking over everything except the euphoric feeling pulsing through me.

"Ah, Ah, fuck, fuck, Bellaaaa." Edward's orgasm hit, pulsing deep within me, before mine could even finish.

He soon lost the strength in his arms and fell into me, his entire being shaking. He tucked his head into the crook of my neck, kissing the sensitive skin behind my ear.

"Bella," he whispered between kisses. "That was-" He didn't finish. I knew what he meant.

"Yeah," I sighed, my arms still tight around his neck.

He chuckled at my response and kissed me once more. He pulled back and looked down at me. His contagious smile warmed the entire room, causing me to smile right along with him. He pecked my lips with his before slowing pulling out and lying beside me. He gathered me in his arms and pulled me across his chest.

I threw my leg over his thigh and placed my hand over his racing heart. He sighed and then kissed the top of my head before squeezing me a little as he closed his eyes, letting sleep take him over.

My mind wouldn't rest and started to replay the last hour. The butterflies started again and I sighed in contentment. This just felt right and much more than a one night stand that would be weird in the morning. I thought about my control issues and decided to let them go. _And letting go never felt so good._

The gentle rise and fall of his chest lulled me back to sleep.

~*SIML*~

The irritating sound of my cell phone alarm woke me from a dreamless sleep. I moved to turn it off but was pressed tightly against the mattress below me. I was lying on my stomach with both arms tucked under my pillow. I tried to move again but Edward was basically using me as a human body pillow. One of his legs was thrown over the back of both of mine, his morning erection digging into my thigh. I could feel his cheek on my back and one of his hands cupped the side of my waist.

When he felt me attempt to move, he groaned and tightened his hold of my waist. I giggled because his fingers were directly over a ticklish spot of mine. I felt him press kisses across my back but couldn't concentrate on the sweetness of his lips because he started to dig his fingers deeper into my ribs.

I gasped through laughs and jerked as he tickled me relentlessly, while keeping my body pinned to the mattress with his own.

"What's the matter, beautiful? Does that tickle?" He laughed.

"Stop…Please stop!" I begged between gasps and laughs.

His fingers stopped and he moved back enough for me to turn over.

He smiled down at me and captured my lips with his. I giggled at his sweetness. His hair was even more erratic than usual and covered his eyes a bit. I ran my fingers through it and pushed it back, trying to coax it into place. Chunks of disobedient locks slumped back on their own accord.

I met his eyes and they were hooded with lust. He pushed a lock of hair behind my ear, then curled his warm hand around my face.

"Are you okay?" he asked, crooked smile in place.

"I'm okay." I nodded.

His smile beamed before he ducked back down to kiss me sweetly.

"Time to get up and get ready for work, huh?" he asked.

All smiles faded as we both felt a shift from the weight of the words. It was time to move out of the little bubble of happiness we created.

"Yeah," I answered shyly. I wasn't ready to get back to real life. More specifically, I wasn't ready to leave Edward's arms.

My mind flooded with questions. What would this mean? Would we pursue this despite our working relationship? We were only co-workers, so it wasn't like we could get in trouble for dating. It's not as if he was my boss. What _were_ we? Was it just a fling? Two lonely people who needed to fill a void? It didn't feel like that before.

"Bella?" Edward's voice brought me from my internalizing.

"Hmm?"

"What is it? What are you thinking?" He eyed me with concern.

"Um…nothing really. I was just thinking about this morning's conference."

I hoped it sounded convincing, though it didn't sound like it through my own ears. I didn't want him to think I was some love sick crazy person.

I moved from the bed and started across the room. I didn't look back at Edward because I didn't want him to see the look in my eyes. I wasn't a good actress and didn't want him to see how quickly my mood shifted with the simple thought of _going to work_.

"I'm going to get a shower."

"Um, yeah. Okay?"

I closed the door behind me and slouched against it.

What was wrong with me? Why was I feeling so…so…dejected? Edward hadn't said one thing about us or work – good, bad or indifferent. The subject just never came up. Not that we had much time to talk about the subject really, though.

I had only spent a few days with Edward. And sure, we had some really great conversations and got to know each other, but what did that really mean? I had to stop my sad train of thought and live in the moment. If it was just going to be an out of town fling, than I would have to accept that. Could I accept that? _That_ was the ultimate question.

After stepping into the enormous shower with my shampoo and soap in hand, I closed the door and turned the water to hot, waiting to adjust the temperature. The blast of cold water quickly turned warm and I let it engulf me…saturate me. I closed my eyes and stood directly under the spray, trying to wash away the self doubt that covered me.

After standing under the water for a little while longer I felt a small current dash through my body. It felt familiar, satisfying and…_right_. Before I had the chance to open my eyes, I felt strong arms wrap around my waist and warm breaths on the sensitive spot behind my ear. I placed my arms atop his and melted into Edward's embrace as he held me tight.

He brushed his lips across the shell of my ear and whispered. "Bella…I can't stay away from you anymore. I won't."

His words and the desperate yet demanding way he said them pushed my doubt away so fast my breathing faltered.

"Then don't," I breathed out in response.

He spun and kissed me deeply and with more passion than I had ever felt before in my entire life.

When he pulled away his eyes captured mine and refused to let go. He bent to meet me at eye level, held my face in his hands and placed chaste kisses on my lips before moving to the apples of my cheeks. I moved my hands to his chest and placed one over his heart.

He opened his mouth to say something, and when he finally did, he spoke with so much passion I had no choice but to open my heart and listen.

"Bella...I don't know what this is," he said, waving his hand between our bodies, "but I want it. I want more with you…much, much more. Please say you understand. Please say you want this too."

"But what abo-"

"No buts Bella, just you and me. Anything else we can deal with together – going back home, our work situation…whatever. Nothing matters but you and me right now."

His words crumbled what was left of my well constructed wall and sealed our fate.

I quickly stood on the tips of my toes, threw my arms around his neck and crashed against his chest. He captured me around the waist and held me tightly against him while his nose skimmed the skin at the crook of my neck.

I wrapped my fingers in his hair and pulled his lips to mine. His hands traveled quickly down my body and wrapped around my thighs. He easily lifted me around his waist, pressing me against the shower's cool tile.

We were late to the first conference that morning.

~*SIML*~

_**What r u wearing? ~ E**_

I stifled a giggle at the latest text message Edward sent. I knew the people sitting around me were getting tired of hearing my phone vibrate every minute or two. I sat up straighter and crossed my legs again, trying to look put together – though I was far from it.

After our "talk" in the shower, things changed. Edward and I were more comfortable with each other, more confident. He crumbled my wall and gave me peace of mind. He wanted it too, just as much as I did.

_**Absolutely nothing ~ B**_

I waited for a response that I knew he'd send faster than all the rest.

… _**~ E**_

_***giggle* ~ B**_

_**U can't say stuff like that 2 me when ur so far away beautiful ~ E**_

_**I'm sorry. I promise 2 make it up 2 u. ~ B**_

_**YES…yes u will ~ E**_

I put my phone away to concentrate on the conference.

~*SIML*~

"So, what do you want for dinner?" Edward asked again for about the fifth time in an hour. His fingers danced across my ribs before cupping my breast.

"You," I answered with a coy smile.

He smirked before rolling on top of me and kissing me with abandon – again.

We had returned to our room after the last of the day's conferences to get ready to go out for an early dinner. But it had been over two hours and we still couldn't manage to get motivated. We lay on the bed in only our underwear - work attire removed and strewn all across the suite – kissing, touching and connecting.

We ended up ordering room service at around nine before wearing each other out completely and crashing into bed.

~*SIML*~

EPOV

I woke up feeling like something wasn't quite right. I felt the bed beside me and noticed it was still warm from Bella, but she wasn't there. The bed shifted around my legs before my cock was engulfed in the most amazing, wet heat.

"Uhh…fffuu..." I was in such shock I was completely unable to find the words to string together.

She continued to suck and lick my shaft, making tiny sucking noises every now and again.

"Bel..la?"

She hummed around me, sending pulsing shock waves through my groin. I reached down and wrapped my hand into Bella's long hair to help guide her.

"Mother fucking hell."

"Are you awake?" she whispered while still holding my throbbing cock in her tiny hand.

I sat up, grabbed her under her arms and slid her up my body, lining up everything that counted.

"Doesn't it _feel_ like I'm awake?" I asked while grinding my erection between her legs, sliding easily through her heat.

She lifted up - straddling my hips - before slowing pressing down onto my hardness. Her heat once again surrounded me and I lulled my head back across the pillows. She was so tight and wet and hot…and perfect. I grabbed her hips to help guide her. Not that she needed my help, I just liked touching her.

We started out slowly to get adjusted to the new feeling while Bella pressed tight against my chest, our bodies sliding against one another in perfect time. Her hair curtained around us and gave us no other objects to watch, but each other. I watched as her face changed from determination, to lust and then finally settling on blissfulness. She was the most beautiful creature I had ever known. Our connection was deep and honest.

I wasn't quite sure what happened the day prior after we made love. It took about 10 minutes before it dawned on me. The last thing I had said was about getting ready for another day. _Time to get up and get ready for work, huh?_

I felt like a complete ass for making her feel upset about our working relationship. We didn't answer to one another at work, nor did we really have much communication there at all. Our boss wouldn't have a problem with our relationship. Ben and Angela were a good example of that fact. We would work on it. She would be mine.

Her warm breaths panted across my neck as she moved to whisper in my ear. "You like it when I'm on top, don't you Edward?"

Hearing my name come from _her_ beautiful mouth as my cock slid in and out of her was one of the most sensual experiences of my life. The amazing woman above me was layered with so many facets, yet was simply Bella – beautiful.

"Uh…oh fuck. Yes…yes I love it." I tightened my grip on her hips and slammed her harder onto me on her decent.

"You want it hard…and fast?" she panted in my ear.

I lifted my hips up higher and faster than before. "Fuck yes."

I was not sure if I had answered her question or if it was because of the amazing way she felt around me.

I dipped my fingers in the dimples above her ass, and rubbed my thumbs over the indentations. She sat up and allowed me to control the pace. I watched her breasts move as my thrusts turned hard and fast. She moved her hands up her ribs to caress her breasts and then pinch her pebbled nipples. Her eyes were closed and her head was thrown back in ecstasy with her mouth opened in what resembled a little 'o'. Her hair tickled my thighs as it bounced with our movements.

"I…oh, Edward, ah…I'm-"

"Tell…me…Bella," I demanded between thrusts.

"I'm…ah."

"Tell…me…or you don't…get to…cum," I insisted.

"I'm cumming…I'm cum-. Fuuuuuck. Fas-…Edwa-, plea-" She lost her breath and couldn't finish her request, but I knew my Bella. She wanted me harder and faster.

I tightened the hold I had of her and slammed into her core as fast and hard as I could. My muscles screamed in protest. Her arced body straightened and tensed before her orgasm hit. Her muscles seized around my cock and it took all I could to not cum right along with her. I wasn't quite done with her. Watching her cum was beautiful as her face relaxed into ecstasy.

I pulled her flat against my chest and allowed her body to come down from its high, rubbing my fingers along her spine. Her breathing was fast and puffed across my chest. She fingered the light hair on my chest and started to giggle.

"What?" I whispered.

"Nothing. I'm just…happy," she replied and looked up into my eyes. "You make me happy."

I kissed her forehead and replied, "I'm glad, because you make me happy, too, sweet girl."

She placed her arms around my neck and sighed. While still connected, I leaned down and kissed her sweet mouth before I gave a little hip thrust. She moaned and started to move her hips with mine. We rolled to our sides and I lifted her leg high along my waist. The position allowed little movement but was enough to go slow and stay deep.

She whimpered as I hit the spot inside her over and over again with my head while grinding across her clit with my pelvic bone. Her arms started to tighten around my neck and I knew she was close again. I wanted to cum with her so I spread my hands across her ass and pushed deeper into her until I could feel the tell-tail signs of my impending orgasm.

Her muscles, once again, fluttered around my cock and started to gently coax me. I closed my mouth over hers and inhaled her whimpers. The room was silent with heady desire as we exploded against each other quietly with our arms clasped tightly around one another – holding on for dear life.

**Alright, so I don't typically give story recommends on my updates, but here are some that I've been reading and CAN'T stop!**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5936854/1/A_Matter_of_Trust ~ 'A Matter Of Trust' by quietruby**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6020448/1/Frontline ~ 'Frontline' ~ by MissAlex**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5880132/1/An_Angel_Closes_Her_Eyes ~ 'An Angel Closes Her Eyes' ~ by tg10781**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5251499/1/Secret_Life ~ 'Secret Life' ~ by MandyLeigh87**


	7. Chapter 7

**I've been nominated for a Walk Of Fame Award - Category: The Hidden Gem Award. Voting starts December 1st and end the 31st. Please remember to vote for me! http:/twinklingswfa(dot)blogspot(dot)com/p/story-nominees(dot)html**

**DON'T KILL ME! I know this is much later than I usually update, but RL has attacked! Please love me anyway.**

**A special "Thank You" goes out to my betas, LouderThanSirens & batgirl8968 – they are amazing. And you know they have to love me or they wouldn't put up with my ridiculous comma misplacements.**

**Warning: You know why I have to put up a warning.**

**Disclaimer: Stephenie Meyer wrote and owns the Twilight Saga. I am not that original. I'm merely borrowing the characters and making them dew et…a lot.**

**I do, however own this FF and the amazing words within. I know they are awesome, but please don't steal my ideas. Mmmkay? Thanks!**

**LAST THING: My Edward has officially been given his 'ward' name: I asked RikiMuniz - www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2145350/RikiMuniz - to do honors so here we have it. DRUM ROLL PLEASE! "Conferenceward" Yep! I can assure you, there will be conference room lemons for him to live up to! Thanks to everyone for their suggestions!**

**ONWARD!**

~*SIML*~

BPOV

The training sessions were winding down and Thursday was upon us. It was the last day of training and we were basically reviewing what we had already gone over…_and over…and over._ Edward and I decided we had had enough training so we decided to skip out of the second half of the day's sessions.

We planned on having lunch together before enjoying the city. Edward, being a native Chicagoan, wanted to show me the sites himself. Truthfully, I think he was excited to play along as a tourist with me, since it had been so long since he was last in The Windy City.

Edward took me to a quaint little bistro for a quiet and delicious lunch. He always seemed to know the best out-of-the-way places to go so I could get the real Chicago experience.

Edward settled the bill and excused himself to use the restroom before our first stop, Navy Pier. He told me it was one of his favorite places to go when he was young. My cell phone rang somewhere deep within my purse. I caught it before the last ring, after fishing it from its hiding place.

"Alice?" I knew it was her. It wasn't like every cell phone on earth didn't have caller ID.

"Bella. Hey. We haven't heard from you since Tuesday. Are you okay? What's up with the room situation? You never said. How's Chicago? Do you love it? Have you been too busy to go out anywhere?"

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Slow down Alice. One question at a time." I chuckled a little at her never-ending extreme cheerfulness.

"Sorry," she laughed. "I just miss you and I haven't heard from you since your last text message on Tuesday. What's up?"

I wasn't sure I wanted to start the conversation about Edward yet. He would be coming back to the table soon and we had plans. Alice, being Alice, would want every detail from beginning to end – in turn, keeping me on the phone for a greater part of the afternoon. So I decided to answer her as vaguely as possible, but still give her enough information to keep her at appeased.

"Training is over today. Chicago is great. I'm sightseeing this afternoon. Our group is going out for a nice dinner tonight and maybe drinks afterward. It should be fun. The room situation is better than I could have ever expected. I'll tell you all about it when I get back home."

Edward approached the table as I was finishing my little give-her-just-enough-to-give-me-a-break conversation. His crooked smile told me he had heard the part about my – our – room situation. I smiled back at him as he bent to kiss me on the forehead. I blushed at his sweetness. He sat down next to me and opened up the newspaper that had been left behind by another patron. Effectively giving me _some_ privacy but staying close, like I liked.

"You're going out tonight? Are you feeling okay, Bella? That doesn't sound like you. Rose and I usually have to drag you out of the house."

I giggled and it made Edward lower a corner of his newspaper. He cocked his eyebrow and the twinkle in his eye made me blush again. His eyes held mine as I answered Alice as truthfully as I could, without giving too much away.

"Yeah, I know. Some of them can be very persuasive." Edward smirked and wagged his eyebrows at my reaction to him. "It will be fun, Alice. I'll tell you all about it when I get home. I promise. I have to go now, we're headed out."

"We? Who are-"

"I love you and will see you soon."

"Bella!" She sounded playfully frustrated with me.

"Bye, Alice." I laughed as I tossed my phone back into the depths from which it came.

Edward leaned in and lightly kissed my awaiting lips. Our smiles grew simultaneously as our mouths pressed tighter together. He pulled back and kissed the tip of my nose.

"Alice? She's the pushy one, right?"

I laughed at his choice of words. "Yeah, Alice is the assertive one."

He rolled his eyes and tossed the paper down on the table. He took my hand and practically pulled me out the door.

"Come on. Let's go play." His eyes were alight like a child on Christmas morning.

I giggled and half ran behind him.

~*SIML*~

Navy Pier was fun. But experiencing Navy Pier with Edward was beyond words.

We practically ran from the cab, hand in hand, laughing. He insisted we play games, window shop and do the smaller things before riding the gigantic Ferris Wheel. I wasn't going to argue with him. He knew his way around and probably had a system to his silly madness.

We spent so long there we didn't even have the chance to see the other sites in the city that we wanted to visit. I was completely okay with it, so long as I was spending time with Edward.

After a few hours of playing games, buying a few souvenirs, and taking a ferry ride around the city, Edward pulled me to the Ferris Wheel for the last of our time on the pier.

We didn't have to stand in line long, which surprised me a little. We had just settled into our seat when I realized how late it was getting. The sun was going down and it was getting a little chilly. Edward draped his suit jacket over my legs to keep me warm. The skirt I was wearing certainly wasn't helping. He wrapped his arm around my shoulders and drew me into his side, effectively pulling me into his warmth. I smiled up at him and grabbed his free hand with my two cold hands.

"Thank you," I said before I reached up to kiss his cheek.

He nuzzled his face into my hair and whispered into my ear, "No. Thank _you_." He lightly licked the shell of my ear and nibbled my lobe, causing me to shiver. He let out a breathy chuckle that warmed me further. I was lost in the sensations that Edward always seemed to coax from me, without him even really having to try.

Miss Carefree had become so sated over the last few days that she lounged – keeping unusually quiet - across her white, bear-skin rug softly humming while finally finishing her enormous lollipop. I was sure that she had finally flipped.

Miss Responsible, who had become indifferent with me, settled in her chaise lounger reading quietly – pretending to ignore the feelings parading around.

I was so content in the little bubble that Edward and I had created, I hadn't noticed our ascent. He squeezed my shoulders a little and looked down at me with a beautiful smile across his face. Without breaking our quiet affection, he simply nodded at the view before us.

It was beyond beautiful. The sun had finally settled low in the sky but was shining just enough for us to see its stunning, fading rays glisten across the water.

I wanted to capture the moment and thought sadly about the fact that my camera was somewhere in La-La-Land with my lost luggage. I decided not to let it upset me and pulled my phone from my purse to take a few pictures. They weren't the best quality, but I was happy to have them.

I quickly pulled away from Edward and took a picture of him before he could protest. I snuggled back into his side and pressed the button to view my photos. Edward's expression in the picture was so cute. He looked like he'd lost his puppy. I wondered briefly if it was because I had pulled away from him so suddenly. I hope he didn't doubt my new-found feelings for him.

I looked up at him and he smirked at me. He leaned in closer and ran his nose along my jaw, breathing me in. I shifted in the seat, trying to quell the sensations only Edward caused in my body. He had me wrapped around his finger and he didn't really even know it yet.

I tilted my head to give him better access to my neck and shoulder. Before I could react, he turned and had quickly taken the phone from my hands and extended his arm out in front of us.

He looked down and kissed me lightly on the lips. "Smile, Beautiful," he whispered.

Still a little dazed by him, I twisted my fingers into his hair and kissed him like I wanted. He returned my kiss with fever and we made out like two teenagers on a ride at a local county fair.

The sound of something falling to the metal floor at our feet pulled us away from our stupor. Edward kissed me once more time before reaching down to pick up my phone and hand it back to me.

_Lucky we decided on the protective cover or it would be broken by now, _Miss Responsible chided.

Honestly, I wasn't quite sure what her problem was but didn't care enough to delve too deeply. I was enjoying my time with Edward and I wasn't going to let her ruin it.

All too soon, the ride came to a stop and we had to exit our little happy bubble. As we waited for a cab, I decided I had enough time to shop for new luggage before our night out. We were leaving the following day and I had no way to get my new clothes home.

I squeezed Edward's hand to get his attention. He leaned down and kissed me before responding. "What is it, sweet girl?"

"There's still time before we have to meet everyone for dinner."

He smirked at me. I'm sure he was thinking about something entirely different that I was. Alright, so maybe I was thinking about it a little too.

"Well, we're leaving tomorrow and I really need to get some new luggage, since the airline still hasn't found mine. Why don't you head back to the hotel? You can get ready first and I'll meet you in a little bit."

His face contorted from sexy into a good-natured grin. "Okay. You need luggage. But I'm going with you."

"Edward, you don't have-"

"Nope," he interrupted with a sweet peck on my lips. "Enough said. I'm going with you." He smiled down at me and pulled me closer to kiss the top of my head. "I don't want to spend any more time without you, than I absolutely have to."

I placed my hands on his chest and reached to kiss his lips. He bent to meet me half way and chastely kissed me.

"Alright. If you insist," I responded against his lips.

He smirked and responded, "Yes, I do insist." He leaned further into me and kissed me with abandon. I was lost in him, only able to feel, taste and smell him. I was in heaven.

Edward and I had grown so close in such a short time, I knew I should have been scared or at least a little alarmed, but I just _wasn't_. It felt right. I hadn't felt this happy in years…maybe _ever_.

~*SIML*~

EPOV

Bella and I started off our last evening in Chicago having dinner with the rest of our co-workers. It wasn't really what I wanted to do, but it had become a tradition for those of us who attended the out of town training to have one night out together.

Although we weren't exactly keeping our time together a secret, Bella and I didn't want all of our co-workers to find out before we had had a chance to pursue it a little deeper, by ourselves.

When we arrived at the restaurant, only half of our group was there, so it gave Bella and me a chance to strategically sit together. When the rest of our party arrived, I ended up having to sit with Tanya - at the head of the table - to my left, as Bella sat on my right. To the right of Bella was James – at the other side of the table – while Ben and Kate sat directly in front of Bella and me.

Dinner started out nice. The girls shared a bottle of wine, while we guys stuck with beer. Dinner was wonderful, as usual. It was hard to find bad food in Chicago. That was one of my favorite things about Chicago. Well, until that fateful morning I found Bella in the lobby of our hotel. I had spent so much quality time with Bella over the last week that _that_ had become my favorite thing about Chicago. Bella and I.

Throughout dinner, I would casually remove my hand from the table and wrap my fingers around her inner thigh. She only jumped the first time. She had looked up at me in surprise as a blush spread across her cheeks, which I returned with a playful smirk.

I knew which panties she was wearing, as I had chosen them for the evening. Once she put them on, they had quickly become my favorite item of clothing she owned. They were entirely lace and I wasn't even sure they could be considered panties. The skirt she wore allowed me to reach higher and higher as the night progressed. Once dessert arrived I was under the hem and gently rubbing my fingers along her slickness. Thank goodness for table cloths. She squirmed a bit, but held her conversation better than I anticipated. I was going to have to see what we could do about that while at the club. Our co-workers were nice company, but I wanted to be alone with Bella…soon.

A few times during the course of the night, Tanya had made a few subtle passes at me. It didn't surprise me because it was something she always did. I'm sure Bella noticed but she didn't comment, as I still had my fingers intentionally placed in her panties. She had to know she owned me…every part of me.

James, on the other hand - he was pissing me off. He would continually place his hand over Bella's during polite conversation. I knew how he worked. Polite was the last thing on his mind. Bella would remove her hand and continue with the conversation, as if nothing had happened. She must have noticed me getting a little upset because she reached down and wrapped her hand around my forearm – which was still between her legs.

Once we finished dinner, we all made our way to a small club that had a great blues band playing. The bar wasn't too crowded as we were able to get a table right away. Tanya took it upon herself to sit beside me, causing Bella to have to sit across from me. I wasn't exactly happy but wasn't going to make a big deal out of it. We agreed not to make our relationship blatantly obvious in front of our co-workers, so the distance worked – for appearance sake. We were all having a good time and I didn't want to ruin our last night in Chicago together. Though the attention James kept giving Bella was going to be my undoing.

Drinks flowed freely and we would occasionally get up to dance. Tanya pulled me close a few times, which I was able to keep to a minimum. She was drunk enough that she didn't care who she hung onto. I pushed her off onto James a few times. He didn't seem to like it, because it would interrupt the _game_ he was trying to work on Bella.

Even though I wasn't able to reach across the table and kiss her like I wanted so desperately to do, we were able to stay connected with occasional eye contact. She had the most beautiful, soulful eyes. I found myself getting lost in them on more than one occasion. She would blush and look away before anyone really noticed.

I excused myself to get a beer from the bar and - to be honest - to get away from Tanya. She was driving me crazy.

Bella got up and made her way down a dark hallway to the bathroom. I watched her ass as she walked away. She knew what she was doing to me…she had to.

I paid the bartender and made my way toward the bathrooms. I was going to wait for Bella to come out and maybe sneak a kiss or two before we headed back to the rest of our group.

Before I got too far down the dark hallway, someone grabbed my arm and stopped me. I turned to see Tanya eyeing me suspiciously. I wondered if she knew what I was up to. She gave me a drunken smile. "Edward, what are you doing down here all alone? Were you looking for me?"

Before I could do anything else, she pushed me against the wall and shoved her tongue down my throat. Her breath reeked of beer and her perfume choked me.

She always hit on me…always, but her forcefulness caught me off guard. It shocked me to the point that I was stunned. I stood there with my beer in one hand while she had my other hand pressed against the wall. She interpreted my stillness – shock really - as an invitation and grabbed my dick…hard. I wasn't hard, she grabbed me hard. Just to be clear.

Before I could push her away I heard a gasp to my right. Tanya pulled away just enough for me to turn my head.

Bella stood there in the middle of the hallway with her hands over her mouth and tears in her eyes.

My eyes widened in response and I tried to push Tanya away. She was so drunk that she thought I was coming on to her. She released my cock and tightly wrapped her arms around my waist, pressing her head against my chest.

"He's fucking hot, isn't he Bella?" she slurred. "We make a great couple. I'm so glad I came to Ch- Chicago with you, Eddie."

Tanya was reaching up to kiss me again as Bella bolted for the front door.

"Bella!" I yelled across the bar. The music was too loud to reach her.

I finally got a good hold of Tanya and forcefully shoved her away. "Get the fuck off me, Tanya. You're drunk. I'm not."

She came stumbling toward me again. "Oh come on, Eddie. It will be fun."

I was pissed. The only girl I wanted – ever wanted - had run out because a fucking skank couldn't hold her alcohol and couldn't tell the difference between a brush off and a come on.

I moved her toward the adjacent wall with my hands pressed against the wall on either side of her head and got in her face; the beer bottle clinking against the brick. She smiled and closed her eyes, thinking I was about to kiss her, I'm sure. I leaned in closer and whispered, "Stay the fuck away from me, Tanya. I wouldn't touch you with James' dick. The best thing that has ever happened in my entire fucking life just ran out that door and I intend to get it back."

The look on her face was priceless. It was a mixture of confusion and shock. I handed her my beer and I shoved away from the wall.

I ran outside, not giving a second thought to the rest of our group still sitting around bull shitting in the bar.

I grabbed a cab and told the driver I was in a hurry – like he had never heard that one before. We made it back to the hotel faster than I thought possible. I over tipped him for getting me there so quickly.

I ran through the pristine lobby, not giving a shit what anyone thought about me. I stood at the bank of elevators and pressed the button repeatedly.

"Fucking come on!" I yelled to no one in particular. The other guests waiting for the elevator just stared at me with shocked expressions on their face. I'm sure I looked like a drug addict or something, pacing around and continually pressing the call button – like it was going to make the elevator come faster or some shit.

As soon as the doors opened I darted in, giving little care for the people who were trying to exit the lift. A small group crowded in with me and we waited…and waited…_and fucking waited._ I was impatient as fuck. My girl was somewhere in the city – hopefully in our hotel room- upset with me for something I didn't really do. She had to understand that it was _not _what it looked like.

The doors opened at the fourth floor and an old couple exited. There were three more buttons lit up before we were going to make it to the seventeenth floor. When we stopped at the tenth floor, I pushed my way out of the lift. The elevator was too slow so I fucking hit the stairs. I ran seven flights up to my floor. I was thankful I insisted on going to the gym and staying in shape, otherwise the trip would have been a lot more painful.

I ran to the door, winded and frantic, and tried to swipe my keycard several times before it finally released. When I opened the door, nothing seemed out of place in the living room. The doors to the bedroom were closed and I hoped like hell Bella was behind them. I opened the doors without knocking and saw her new suitcase atop the bed with her clothes strewn everywhere.

A lock clicking into place caught my attention. She was in the bathroom…locked in the bathroom. She must have heard me coming. Who wouldn't? I had pounded through the doors like a fucking herd of elephants, scared to death that she was gone before I really had her.

I slowly approached the door and knocked lightly.

"Bella?"

Nothing.

"Bella, beautiful, please."

No answer. I barely made out her soft sobs through the door. It broke my heart. I had to make it right.

"Bella, it's not what it looked like. I promise. Please open the door and talk to me."

The strength in her voice startled me. "Right, Edward. That's what they all say, isn't it? 'It's not what it looked like'. Fuck you, Edward! I don't nee-" Her words cut off and turned into sobbing.

I pressed my forehead and hands against the door. "Bella, open the door. We need to talk about this. What you saw… Bella, she attacked me. She just walked up and started…uh! Please open the door and talk to me about this."

She started yelling again. "Whatever, Edward. I get it…really, I do. You just took pity on poor, little, stranded Bella and it was just an added bonus that you could _fuck_ her while you had her in your room. Got it out of your system! Had your little fling. Don't worry, Edward, I'll just go on-"

"Bella, no. It's not like that."

"Really? Really, Edward? Because it just seems convenient to have me in your bed here and to go back home and do whatever, or whoever, it was before I so rudely interrupted you."

I was getting pissed. She was treating what we had like a trivial fling that didn't mean anything.

"Fuck!" I raised a hand and hit the door hard. "Bella, open the fucking door. We need to talk about this," I shouted. My hands were shaking, my breaths came in short, fast huffs and my mind raced with ideas of how I could to fix this.

"No we don't! Leave me the fuck alone," she half screamed, half sobbed through the door.

"I'm not leaving, Bella. I can't do that!"

Her tone changed from upset to the sarcastic snark I had started to fall in love with, "Really? And why not, Edward? Was it that good? Huh? Is it worth giving up all-"

"Because I've fallen in love with you…that's why," I shouted through the door, interrupting her ridiculous rant.

_Fuck._

I couldn't believe I just blurted it out without giving it a second thought. I knew I was falling in love with Bella so it wasn't a surprise to me really. I was more afraid of her reaction. We had only been together for a few days. Could you fall in love with someone that quickly? If someone had asked me that a month ago, I would have told them they were crazy. But there I was, proclaiming my love for Bella…through a bathroom door after she had shut me out.

I heard the lock release from the other side of the door and I grabbed the frame to brace myself for the worst. I was terrified to see the look on her face. My heart pounded relentlessly against my chest and it had nothing to do with the seven flights I scaled to get to her. She opened the door slowly, her gaze trained on the floor, her brows furrowed as if she were confused.

"What?" she whispered.

I wanted to lift her chin so I could look into her eyes, but was worried she might snap at me. So I just stood there in the threshold and opened my heart.

"I'm in love with you, Bella," I whispered back.

She quietly gasped and placed her hand over her heart, looking up to meet my eyes. I searched her eyes, her expression giving nothing away. They were rimmed in red from crying and brimmed with unshed tears. It broke my heart. She didn't love me back. It was too soon. I'd pushed her away. I'd lost her before I really even had her.

I couldn't bear the thought of losing her so I started to ramble.

"Bella, I know we've only been together for—I know…I know it's too soon. And this is _not_ how I wanted to tell you. But-"

She quickly lifted her tiny fingers to my lips to stop my rambling. My heart continued to pound against my chest, threatening to make its own escape and save itself from our impending doom. I stood there holding my breath, waiting for the bomb to drop. I'd lost her.

"Edward?" she whispered. Her tears spilled over and rolled down her cheeks. I felt my own eyes sting with salty tears. She was going to let me down easy…I could feel it.

Her pause was too long and the silence was deafening, our nervous breaths the only sound in the room.

"Say it again."

I furrowed my brows, trying to make sense of what she had said. My brain and heart screamed for my body to cooperate.

I slowly wrapped my hand around her wrist and removed her hand from my mouth, rubbing my thumb across her pulse. Her heart was beating as fast as mine, if not faster.

I bent my knees to meet her at eye level. "I love you, Bella. I know it's too soon and you may think that I'm crazy, but-" her free hand covered my lips again, interrupting me. I couldn't figure out her train of thought. She had just asked me to tell her again, yet she stopped me for a second time.

A small, teary smile creep across her beautiful face and she spoke. "No buts Edward, just you and me. Nothing matters but you and me right now."

I smiled at her choice of words – the words that mirrored my own from only a few days prior.

I released her wrist and placed my hands gently on either side of her face, my thumbs wiping away her tears. I moved in and kissed her, silently telling her just how much I loved and cared for her. When we pulled away, I placed my forehead against hers, looking deeply into her eyes.

"I love you, Bella. _Te amo_," I vowed.

"I love you too, Edward," she whispered.

The kiss we shared after admitting our feels toward each other was beyond words. Our bodies were wrapped together seamlessly, as if we had become one. Our lips moved slowly while our arms wrapped around one another so tightly. The soft moan that emanated from deep within Bella's body almost became my undoing. At that moment, I wanted nothing more than to make love to the woman who had stolen my heart. But I wanted to talk to her. I wanted to explain to her what had happened…what she saw.

I slowly and gently pulled back from her, pressing my lips to her once more before I started.

"Bella?"

"Hmm?" The contented sound she made did nothing for the swelling that started to occur in my pants. But I had to talk to her.

"Bella, what you saw? You know that she-"

She interrupted me with a sweet kiss before pulling my bottom lips in between her teeth.

I growled and pulled her tighter against my aching erection. She gasped at the feel of it pressed against her stomach. I smirked at her cuteness but stayed silent.

A far away look passed across her expression before she looked into my eyes once again.

"Edward, I know she was the one…that she was forcing herself on you. It's just that…well…"

There was something about the expression that colored her face that made me want to scoop her up and reassure her that it would never happen again.

I skimmed my fingers across her cheekbone and looked deeply in to her eyes. She was fighting something.

"You can tell me, Bella. But you don't have to, you know? It's alright."

"No. I…you need to know. You need to know why I reacted like I did." She looked at me with sadness and it broke my heart.

"When I was in college I dated this guy, Michael. He was really sweet and romantic when we first got together. He really understood that I was still…that I hadn't ever…well…that I was a virgin. We were together for a few months and he didn't really force me or anything. But he always seemed to try to guilt me into moving forward with our relationship. He would always make little comments, trying to be funny, in front of his friends and stuff.

"Anyway, I decided that…you know…that we should go ahead and have sex. All my friends lost their virginity in high school and there I was a freshman in college still holding on to it. It almost felt silly."

Her expression was far off as she told me one of the stories from her past.

"So, I told Mike that I was ready. He jumped at the chance and didn't think twice about it. We were in my dorm room, while my roommate was out doing laundry. He and I just…did it. It was painful and he just did what he had to do.

"Anyway, the next day he started getting all weird and was being distant and stuff. It took me forever to track him down at one of his friend's houses. He was upset that I had come looking for him but started acting normal again right after. It was like he was bi-polar or something. I don't know.

"That night we got a group together and went clubbing. I thought it was weird that Mike had invited so many single girls, but I didn't give it much thought. We all were drinking, dancing and having a good time."

Her expression changed to a blank stare, like she was looking at something far off.

"Mike left the table and said he'd be right back. I just thought he had to go to the bathroom or something. After about thirty minutes, I started to get a little worried, since we were underage and getting drinks with our fake ID's. I thought maybe he had gotten caught and kicked out. I got up to look for him. When I made my way toward the bathrooms I found him pressing this girl up against the wall practically fucking her…I guess. I mean, they probably weren't but I never really bothered finding out. Not that it mattered. He saw me, smiled and waved at me and said something to the girl who looked up at me and laughed.

"Turns out, it was just a bet. His friends bet him that he couldn't…you know…get me in bed or whatever and he took the bet. I'm really the only one who lost. I was humiliated.

"So when I saw you and Tanya…all I could think about was Mike and what he did to me. I know I should have stayed. I could tell by the look on your face that you didn't want it…you know, that you weren't enjoying it. But I couldn't do anything but react. I just reacted. I'm sorry."

_She_ was apologizing to _me_? No, no, no, no, no.

"No, Bella, no. Don't be sorry," I whispered. "I'm so sorry that happened to you. You know I would never do anything like that to you. I would never intentionally hurt you…ever."

She placed her hands on my cheeks, smiled a sad smile and kissed me.

"I know, Edward. I love you."

"And I love you, sweet girl."

Our slow, sweet kiss turned heated once again. Bella worked to unbutton my shirt as I peeled her skin-tight jeans from her curves. Our lips never left one another. Her lips were always so soft. Once we completely undressed one another, I lifted her and walked to the side of the bed. I felt for the mattress as I guided our bodies to the center of the bed, shoving her suitcase onto the floor in the same move.

Our love making that night was about showing our love for one another. I caressed her breasts as she lightly scratched her nails through my hair. I licked and sucked the column of her neck as she ran her fingers down my back. I whispered my love to her as she wrapped her legs around my waist. Silently I pressed my cock against her wetness and her breathing faltered. I pushed forward and let her warmth enclose around me. I moved against her…within her…deeper…filling her with all I could give. I kissed her lightly and pushed deeper still. We were silent until we couldn't hold it back any longer.

Bella's breathing came faster and I felt her walls flutter around me. I wanted her to have this. It was always about her first and foremost.

Her orgasm rushed through her, causing her breasts to blush. I couldn't resist them. I leaned down and ran my tongue in circles around her nipples. Her hands tightened and loosened around my shoulders. I looked down at her and her eyes conveyed nothing but love and contentment.

She kissed me once more before pushing me over. I rolled onto my back and she straddled my hips. I sat up and wrapped my arms around her waist as she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"I love you, Edward," she said before she sank down onto my cock and took control.

"Oh…Bella, I love…I love you too, beautiful. So much," I replied before I kissed her deeply. She whimpered and began to move faster. I grabbed her hips to help guide her along my hardness. Her fast movements had me on the edge. "You feel so good. Uh, your pussy is so wet for me. Yeah, just like that baby. Cum for me baby."

"Yes…uh…only you. Oh…oh fuck. Edward, uh…I'm cumming. Oh…oh...ooooooh."

I pounded upward, faster and harder, coaxing her release. She thrust her hands into my hair and tightened her fingers as her orgasm ran through her.

My stomach tightened and I couldn't hold back any longer. "Bella, baby, I'm gonna…I'm…I'm cumming. Oh fuck, yes."

I released deep within her as she came down from her high. I pushed three more times before I was completely spent. I wrapped my arms around her again and pulled her down with me to the bed. She lifted up, releasing me and rested her head against my chest. I released a deep breath as she sighed in contentment.

We fell asleep wrapped in each other's love.

**Italian Translation:**

_**Te amo =**_** I love you**

**Some rec's if you are so inclined:**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/5251499/1/Secret_Life ~ Secret Life by MandyLeigh87  
Everyone has secrets. What are Edward and Bella keeping from eachother?**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6215656/1/Heat_of_a_Blue_Flame ~ Heat of a Blue Flame by 107yearoldvirgin  
H****er story draws you in and won't let you go!**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6115911/1/Welcome_To_Paradise ~ Welcome To Paradise by susie55  
****Surferward is too hot for summer!**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6108912/1/Green ~ Green by Bratty-Vamp  
N****erward comes to the rescue and captures your heart**!


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **

**Stephenie Meyer is the genius who created Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. **

**I am the genius who is borrowing them to write some dirty, dirty things they could have done in Twilight. **

**Though we are both awesome, we are NOT one in the same. **

**Warning: **

**This story is rated M for very, **_**very**_** good reasons. If you are under the age of 18, I ask that you please scamper off to the "T" rated section.**

**Special love to my betas, LouderThanSirens & batgirl8968 who work way harder than normal beta's do.**

~*SIML*~

BPOV

I had been in and out of consciousness all night. I awoke from my light sleep just before dawn with the feel of Edward's body pressed tight against my back. His arm was not only draped across my stomach but held me firmly against his warmth, while I used his left bicep as a pillow. The heat from his slow breaths caressed my neck.

I slowly pulled away from his tight grasp, careful not to disturb him, and reached for the shirt he had given me to sleep in. After pushing my arms through the sleeves and fastening a few buttons, I grasped the collar and brought the fabric close to my face. Even his scent on the material made me feel secure.

After the night I had with Edward - confessing one of the most embarrassing times in my life - I had trouble sleeping. Not because of our night. Our night, though stress filled, ended perfectly. But thinking back, I had never told anyone the story about Mike. Well, anyone other than Rosalie and Alice. I knew Edward didn't fault me for my past, but I worried where that would lead us.

We hadn't had 'the relationship talk'. Neither of us intentionally sought out a relationship with one another. It just happened. Like breathing. You don't think about it.

And he loved me.

He _loved_ me.

And I loved him.

How did that happen without my realizing? With my controlling nature it was always hard to give into something so completely. But there I was…in love…and it happened unconsciously. It brought a small smile to my lips just from thinking about it.

I moved to the living room and stared out the window at the water spread before me. The dim light from the moon cascaded across the surface, giving it the appearance of ink. A few cars bustled below, but the city was mostly still. I couldn't help but think of our week together. Edward had been a gentleman, offering to give up his bed for me while I was stranded. He rescued me in more ways than one. My mind was full of thoughts of him and my heart beat to the rhythm of his very breaths. In the shortest amount of time, he managed to do something to me that no man had ever done. He opened my heart and allowed his love to flood through me. I could do nothing more than love him in return.

Was it too soon?

If you asked Miss Responsible, she would answer "yes" and then list every reason why…in alphabetical order.

If you asked Miss Carefree, she would say "no" and then go off to dry hump her lounge chair while licking a picture of Edward.

If you asked my heart, it would say "it's already too late".

A calming buzz enveloped my body before I felt strong arms embrace me from behind and warm breaths wash across my neck. Our bodies felt so attuned to one another. The feeling sent pleasant shivers down my spine. I leaned back into him, relishing his touch. His fingers spread wide and slid purposefully - one across my stomach and the other to my covered breast. He rolled my nipple gently, making me whimper. His nose and then his lips traveled across my shoulder and up the column of my neck. I moaned and tilted my head to give him full access. I loved the effect he had on me, especially when he reached that certain spot on my neck. He knew it would make me melt.

I stood on my toes and I reached around his neck for balance. His hands continued their perusal of my body. His lips reached my ear and he lightly nipped the lobe.

"I love you in my clothes," he breathed. He lightly licked the shell of my ear.

I offered no response. He had me melting in the palms of his hands.

Miss Carefree awakened from her slumber and rubbed the sleep from her eyes.

Edward reached up and unbuttoned the two buttons I had fastened. "I love it even more when they are thrown across the floor."

I whimpered at his words and turned my head to kiss him properly. His hand roamed across my bare stomach and down where I wanted him most. He clutched me tighter to him and slipped a finger into my heat without warning. I was trapped in the most delicious way possible. His fingers worked me expertly as he pressed his thumb against my clit with purpose. My knees felt weak at his ministrations. He was powerful yet gentle.

"Ah, Bella, you're so wet for me already. Is this what you want?"

Through the thin material of my – his - shirt that was entrapped between us, I could feel his arousal at full staff. He ground it against me, showing me what he wanted in return.

Carefree Bella watched with rapt attention, while Miss Responsible sighed and turned her head. I was going to have to get to the bottom of her behavior sooner or later. Later.

Without warning the slow burn in the pit of my stomach ignited like kerosene on a bonfire. My orgasm exploded through me, leaving me breathless as I tried to regain my eyesight.

I untangled my fingers from Edward's hair and turned on shaky legs to face him. He was naked and looked gorgeously rumpled from sleep. His hair stood out in every direction and his eyes were hooded with both sleep and lust.

He whipped off the shirt that had settled in the crook of my elbows. I was as fully exposed to him as he was me. He quickly lifted me around his waist as he roughly pushed me against the window. His lips seared against mine as we both clawed to get closer to one another.

With the slightest tilt of our hips, he sunk me onto him with little fanfare. I gasped at how deep he went.

My back was pressed against the window while Edward held my full weight in his capable hands. Each thrust slid me up and down the glass as the sweat that collected assisted the gliding motion. I was still sensitive from my previous orgasm and was quickly pushed over the edge once again. I threw my head back and screamed his name until I lost my breath.

He kissed me passionately before he stepped back from the window and carried me to the sofa. He started to lay me down but I shook my head in protest. Confusion flooded his eyes.

I leaned forward and breathed across his ear, "I want to be on top."

I leaned back and looked into his emerald eyes that shined with adoration. He pushed forward to kiss me passionately and moaned at our contact. He sat us down on the sofa and gave me the reigns.

I captured his stubbled face in my hands and continued to press my lips to his roughly. As I sank down onto his erection my breathing hiked once again. He had gotten so worked up, but did well to hold back his release in order to pleasure me thoroughly. In his waiting, his cock had become even more engorged and ridged. I loved it. I loved him.

Edward gripped my hips but allowed me to control the pace. He leaned back and rested his head on the back of the sofa with his eyes closed as I worked my hips over him to maximize both our pleasure.

"Ah…Bella, baby. You're gonna make me cum. Fuck. Shhh… Ah, I love you."

I stopped before either of us came.

He lifted his head and looked at me with nothing but love in his eyes.

I leaned into him and responded, "And I love you, Edward."

We started again but slowed our pace and kissed deeply but with no less passion than before. There were no noises…only the sounds of our wasted breaths. With our chests pressed close and our arms embraced tightly around each other, we came undone together. We held tight to one another as we rode out the waves of our desire.

We were completely exhausted and sat together in silence, embracing one another, on the hard-ass sofa.

~*SIML*~

"I don't want this to end when we go home." His whispered voice startled me as his pleading words broke the silence of the room.

We had stayed on the sofa, embracing, for the better part of an hour. I had honestly thought he has fallen back to sleep.

I moved to sit up but he held me tighter against his chest. His lips pressed down on the crown of my head and I could feel his entire body sigh before he spoke again.

"Please tell me you want more than Chicago, Bella."

I pressed small kisses against his chest before I answered him. I tilted my head and rested my chin on his chest. He looked down at me with wary eyes.

"I want more than Chicago, Edward," I answered honestly.

I hadn't had a serious relationship in a long while and had almost sworn them off completely, but I wanted more with Edward. I wanted him and everything that entailed having a serious, loving relationship.

Miss Responsible looked over from her half-moon reading glasses and looked at me curiously.

Edward's smile lit up the dark room and he pulled me in for a sweet kiss.

"Can we talk about this in bed? My back is killing me," he laughed.

I giggled as I thought back to our first night in Chicago and Edward sleeping on the terribly uncomfortable, too small for him sofa.

"What's so funny," he asked as we made our way back toward the bedroom.

"You," I responded playfully before trying to run away from him.

He reached out easily and grabbed my ribs to tickle me.

"What about me?" he chuckled in my ear.

I was doubled over in laughter as he continued to press his fingers between my ribs. I couldn't respond because of his relentless tickling.

"Huh? What about me, Bella?" he taunted through his own laughter.

"Y-"

"Me?"

"When- Okay, I give!" I laughed.

He released my ribs but turned me quickly and threw me over his shoulder. I laughed and playfully pounded at his back. I heard the sharp snap before I felt the sting on my left ass cheek.

"Oww wh wh oo," I cried in laughter.

Edward just chuckled and continued toward the bedroom as if it were an everyday occurrence.

Retaliation was the first thing that popped into my mind…but I was trapped. I looked around quickly and smiled at my amazing idea.

I reached down and pinched his naked ass.

"Yow!" he screamed and jumped a bit.

I laughed so hard I could hardly breathe. His yelp made him sound like a little girl.

"That's it," he exclaimed.

He threw me haphazardly across the bed like a giant rag doll and caged me in with his body, pinning my arms to my sides. His fingers became relentless and found spots on my body that I didn't even know were ticklish.

"Tell me you're sorry," he taunted with a wicked smile. "And that you love me," he teased mercilessly while making a silly kissy face – puckered lips and all.

"Ah…I…"

"What's that, Bella?"

"No, no, no more," I begged through my laughter.

I did my best to escape his tickle torture –kicking and flailing about- but to no avail. Edward's hold was strong and at that point I was sure he was determined to make me pee myself. I was laughing so hard I couldn't even answer him.

He must have known my predicament because just as quickly as it started, it had stopped. He rolled to the side, tucked me into his warm embrace and kissed my forehead.

I looked up at him as he looked down at me. "That was mean," I said with the biggest smile I think I had ever worn to date.

"What?" He feigned innocence and bent down to kiss my now pouting lips. "You wouldn't tell me what you were laughing about so I thought I'd give you something to laugh about."

I giggled and kissed him again.

"If you must know, I was just thinking about the first night we were here together. You insisted on sleeping on that terrible sofa. I have no idea how you did it. I tried to nap on it the next day and could hardly fall asleep."

"It wasn't without difficulty," he laughed. "I think I only slept for about two…maybe three hours that night. As I recall you were a bit…chatty in your sleep." He widened his eyes and wagged his eyebrows at me while grinning like a love sick fool.

"Anyway." I rolled my eyes. I wanted to get back to the subject that brought us to the bed in the first place.

I cleared my throat and smoothed my hair back away from my face. I was trying to regain some semblance of seriousness.

Miss Responsible put her book down to watch the scene play out. I had a feeling this was more along the lines of what she considered important.

Edward rolled me onto my back and looked at me with a serious expression on his face…a little 'v' formed between his eyes. The silver light from the moon bathed the room with the softest glow and shined lightly across his face. I lifted my hand and caressed his cheek.

"I love you. I want this with you, whatever it is. I want it."

He closed his eyes and leaned into my hand, releasing a deep breath. When he opened them again they shone with adoration.

"So we're really doing this then? You and me?" he whispered.

I nodded and smiled at him.

He leaned back a little, squared his shoulders and put a mockingly serious – but still very cute – look on his face.

"Miss Bella Swan, will you do me the extraordinary honor of being my girlfriend?"

I looked at him for a second before I burst into laughter. He looked at me feigning hurt while a smile tugged at the corner of his lips.

"Is that a no?"

"No! Yes! Wait!" I laughed more, trying to figure out how to answer. "No, it's a yes," I said and nodded my head.

"Yes?"

"Yes!"

"I love you, Bella Swan."

He leaned down and kissed me hungrily. After only a few seconds he pulled back reluctantly and smiled at me.

"You do know it's only two in the morning?"

I nodded and leaned up to try to continue our kiss. He leaned back more and shook his head.

"It's two o'clock in the morning, we are leaving in a few hours and you still have to pack." He tilted his head to the mess of my clothes and suitcase on the floor. In our haste it had been pushed aside and turned over completely with clothes strewn everywhere.

"I'm sorry about last night," I told him honestly.

"I'm not. I'm glad it happened."

I looked at him confused.

He continued, "We both know the truth and without it who knows what might have happened between us." He paused and looked like he was trying to gather his thoughts.

"Everything happens for a reason, Bella. I'm sorry that that Mike guy was such an asshole. He treated you terribly and didn't even realize what he had. But I can't be sorry for the way it worked out because you might not be here with me now."

He pressed his lips to the corner of my eye and kissed away the tear that I wasn't aware had formed. When he pulled back he looked at me sweetly and kissed me chastely on the lips.

"I love you and I will never treat you like Mike treated you. Ever."

My stomach jumped at his sweet honesty.

He rolled onto his back and tucked me into his side, wrapping his arms around me tightly. I lifted my leg over his hip to get more comfortable and settled into his embrace. With my head on his chest, the steady rhythm of his heart beat and rise and fall of his chest lulled me back to sleep.

~*SIML*~

EPOV

Friday morning came, whether we liked it or not. I had grown used to the little Chicago bubble Bella and I had created over the last week. We were comfortable, insatiable and most importantly, we were in love.

When I woke up in the middle of the night without her by my side, I won't lie, I panicked just a little. I was afraid she had decided it was too much and that we weren't worth it. I'm not sure where my insecurity came from but it was there none the less. But when I found Bella gazing out the living room window my fears were trampled down and serenity washed over me. She was still there.

Our love making was hard and fast but perfect. Somehow we were able to combine the ravenous need we had for each other and the love we shared to create something all together new. It didn't always have to be slow and sweet. We could be wild and passionate but still convey our love and want for one another at the same time.

Our time was limited before we were to leave for Seattle and pop our little Chicago bubble. I wanted to do something special for Bella that didn't require us leaving the room. Nothing much came to mind…besides the obvious. I wanted to make love to her at least once more before we left.

I got up, slipped on my pajama pants, closed the curtains and made my way into the living room, leaving a sleeping Bella naked in bed. She lay on her stomach with the sheets barely covering her bottom half. The small dimples in the dip of her back called to me, but I resisted. If all went as planned, she would sleep for another half hour.

Once breakfast arrived I moved to the bathroom to ready the second part of my three step plan. When all was set I pushed the cart of food into the bedroom and climbed back into bed.

I kissed the small of her back and skimmed my lips slowly up her torso, leaving tiny kisses in my wake. Bella stirred slightly but didn't wake up. I moved her hair from around her face and kissed her shoulder and up her neck. Her breathing faltered and picked up again.

I brought my lips to her ear and whispered, "Good morning, beautiful."

Her lips turned up with a smile before she peeked open her eyes. Before I knew what happened she has grabbed me by my shoulders and flipped us both until she straddled me. Talk about a nice surprise.

She kissed her way up my neck before kissing me chastely on my lips. I wasn't disappointed. I had plans.

Her bright eyes shined from the minimal light coming through the drape covered window.

"Morning." Her voice was sleep filled but sweet just the same.

I kissed her once more before turning her on her back and hopping out of bed. She furrowed her brow and sat up in the bed before realizing she was naked. She blushed and pulled the sheets up and tucked them under her arms.

I smirked and decided not to comment on her blushing.

"I thought we would have breakfast before we leave."

"I'm not hungry for breakfast," she replied with a pout and crossed her arms over her chest immaturely.

I chuckled and brought the cart closer to the bed. I tilted one of the lids to reach a strawberry without her seeing before settling back into bed next to her.

I leaned in and touched my lips to her ear to whisper. "What if we can have both?"

I pulled back far enough to skim my nose and lips across her cheek the same time I brought the strawberry to her mouth. She smiled but opened and took half the fruit in before biting. The juice pooled then ran from the corner of her lip and down her neck. I licked the juice from her neck before making my way back to her lips. We kissed eagerly until her stomach protested.

We laughed and she sat up and leaned across me to see what else was I had ordered.

"Alright, breakfast first," she conceded with one last kiss.

After our quick breakfast I opened the door and pushed the cart into the hallway for the hotel staff to pick up. A hushed gasp came from my right and I quickly turned to see where it came from. A disheveled Tanya did her best to straighten her clothes – from the night before – and smooth her hair before approaching me.

"Good morning, Edward," she greeted with a saccharin grin.

"Tanya," I growled.

I wasn't about to start a conversation with her and by the way she was acting, she didn't remember what happened in the bar the night before.

"Having some breakfast before our flight home?"

I didn't respond and instead grabbed for the door handle to return back to my morning with Bella.

She continued to approach and grinned through her cracking makeup. It made me shudder in disgust.

"Need any help packing?"

She was only the cart's length from me before the door opened and Bella stepped into the threshold. She wore only the shirt that matched the pants I was wearing...yin and yang. Her gaze shifted quickly to Tanya and then back to me. Her eyes shined with mischief and she smirked before reaching up on her toes to kiss me, while she wrapped her arms around my neck.

"Hurry up baby, I want us to have one last bath together before we leave for home."

She kissed me deeply once more before turning on her heel and returning to the safety of our room, ignoring Tanya completely.

With what I'm sure was a ridiculously huge smile, I turned back to Tanya to say goodbye. It wouldn't be polite just to walk away without saying goodbye now would it? Her expression was a mix of confusion and irritation.

"See you at work on Monday, Tanya." I didn't wait for her response.

I opened the door to our suite and was on a mission to find Bella. The final part of my morning plan was to be inside her a quick as possible.

I didn't have to wait long.

Before I was in the hallway trying to ward off Tanya, I had started a bubble bath – my final plan. When I entered the bathroom my eyes landed on a very naked Bella standing, patiently waiting for me to join her.

The semi I got while searching for her sprung to full attention, tenting my flimsy pants. I walked forward slowly and closed the door behind me with my foot. The room was filled with steam and the aroma of jasmine from the bubble bath and matching candles – our only source of light.

When I reached her I wrapped my arms firmly around her slender waist. She placed her hands on my chest and looked up at me with imploring eyes. Our lips met in sweet reunion and we both sighed in contentment. As our kiss grew more heated I ran my tongue across her bottom lip, silently requesting entry. She tilted her head and opened to me fully. My hands had a mind of their own and slid down her back and cupped her ass. I gave her a little squeeze while grinding my erection against her stomach and was rewarded with a deep moan into my mouth.

But I wanted her in the bathtub not on the counter…yet. Without breaking our kiss I walked her back until her calves hit the side of the tub. She reached for my pants and removed them in one swift movement. I lifted her around my waist and stepped into the warm water.

Once we were settled I moved my lips from hers and made my way down her neck. I knew the spot just below her ear was very sensitive but equally sensual. Once I reached that spot I took extra time to kiss it and lave it with my tongue. Her arms tightened around my neck as she slipped closer onto my lap. My erection stood straight between the two of us and brushed against her silky lips.

The combination of the warm water, the scented candles, her tight, loving embrace and the heat from her pussy proved to be too much for me.

"I'm sorry but I can't wait any longer, beautiful. I need to be inside of you."

So quickly that I barely registered my own movements I lifted her up and aligned her pussy with my cock, pushing deep inside her. I used my hold of her hips to guide her quickly along my shaft. She tightened her fingers in my hair and gasped at our quick connection. She threw her head back in ecstasy, which gave me complete access to her beautiful tits. They were wet from the water and glistened in the candle light. The heat that surrounded us gave her nipples an extra pink hue. I leaned forward and took one into my mouth. She gasped again and bucked against me, causing even more wonderful friction.

"Oh. Edward. Oh faster. I'm. Almost. Th-," she begged between thrusts.

Her first orgasm came fast and lasted longer than usual. She moaned and trembled against me as I continued to slide effortlessly inside her heat. I loved to see her fall apart in my arms.

Afterward she fell weightlessly against my chest with her head resting on my shoulder. Her breathing was still heavy and the heat brushed across my neck, giving me goose bumps.

"How long do you think this will last?" she asked between breaths.

I looked at her confused, silently asking her to clarify. She smiled sweetly at me, placed her hand on my cheek and explained her question further.

"This connection…this …this…all-consuming feeling. I feel like I want to be in your arms always…never being apart from you. Does that make sense?"

I hummed in response and placed a little kiss on the end of her nose.

"Yes, it makes perfect sense. I feel it too." I kissed her pouty lips next. "But, I don't know, I kind of hope it lasts…for-eeever." I over exaggerated the word and punctuated it with wide, childish eyes, while giving her a mischievous grin. I moved to bite her neck like a love-sick vampire.

We laughed together, and the motion of our laughter did interesting things to the way our bodies were connected, effectively ending any conversation. I sucked and nipped at her neck as she slid up and down my cock, reawakening our desire.

I kissed my way up the column of her neck, seeking purchase on her lips once more. Our tongues moved with perfect time to our love making.

Breaking the kiss I closed my eyes and tilted my head back, enjoying the all consuming feeling Bella spoke of. She leaned against me and paid special attention to my chin, neck and chest, peppering me with long languid kisses. The slightly new position pushed me deeper into her warmth. Both our breathing changed and it wasn't too long before we were both consumed with each other's impending orgasms.

She fluttered around my cock as my stomach tightened and I grew harder still, until we both finally burst from the pressure. Our screams and moans were so loud we could probably be heard by people passing on the street below. But we didn't care, nor did we let it contain the need to be ourselves with each other. We held one another tightly until our excited breathing settled.

The bath with Bella was beyond words. After our extraordinary love making she turned to sit between my legs as I washed every inch of her body, from head to toe.

Once we were packed and ready for home, we had one last look around before closing the door on our Chicago bubble and moving forward.

**Some rec's that are really good and need more attention:**

**Secrets and Lies by BellaScotia**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6331684/1/Secrets_and_Lies**

***Bella once told a lie. A lie that cost her everything she ever wanted. 10yrs later, she returns to her hometown to an ailing father, an angry ex-best friend, and the man from whom she has kept a secret that threatens to unravel her existence.**

**Kiss Me I'm Irish by IrishTwiFicster**

**www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/s/6353127/1/Kiss_Me_Im_Irish**

***Bella travels to Dublin to catch up with an old childhood friend. While there, she meets cheeky Irish Edward who can't resist every opportunity to charm her right out of her knickers!**

**PS:**

**Such Is My Luck has been nominated for a Walk Of Fame Award - Category: The Hidden Gem Award. Voting starts December 1st and end the 31st. Please remember to vote for me! **

**http:/twinklingswfa(dot)blogspot(dot)com/p/story-nominees(dot)html**


	9. Chapter 9

**Disclaimer: **

**Stephenie Meyer owns and created Edward Cullen and Bella Swan. I am merely borrowing them. **

**Warning: **

**This story is rated M for very, **_**very**_** good reasons. If you are under the age of 18, I ask that you please scamper off to the "T" rated section.**

**CRAZY SPECIAL THANKS to my wonder-beta ****batgirl8968 who read and corrected this within 4 hours! She's the bestest!**

**I won a contest - special AN at the bottom!**

~*SIML*~

BPOV

Since our tickets were booked separately, Edward and I were not able to sit with each other on the flight home; though Edward more than made up for it at the airport before we boarded at O'Hare. He didn't seem to notice nor care that people were cutting their eyes at us. He had me and I had him and that was all that mattered to him.

Once we were back in Seattle the cab ride home wasn't so bad either. We kept it mostly chaste but I think the driver got a little more than he bargained for when picking the two of us up. We couldn't keep our hands off each other. At some point during the ride I had been unbuckled from my seatbelt and straddled Edward's lap. The flowing skirt I wore proved to be a wise choice. Edward's hands cupped my ass and pulled me tighter against the bulge in his pants.

Miss Carefree rolled her eyes and folded her arms across her chest because she knew we couldn't go further that kissing and groping. I think it pissed her off. Miss Responsible seemed to be in a better mood and only laughed at her huffy friend's behavior.

Once we arrived at my door he kissed me one last time and promised to call later. Truthfully we were both exhausted and agreed that we would separate for the afternoon to unpack and wind down. The evening was still up in the air. We'd play it by ear.

When I reached my apartment I hadn't even put my key in the door before Rose's door flew open and she started into me.

"Isabella Marie Swan, what on earth has been going on with you? You text Alice once from Chicago to say you've lost your luggage. Then we don't hear from you for days. _Then _Alice says that she's talked to you and that you've met someone. I thought I was your nearest and dearest. I'm hurt. I even checked your mail," she whined with faux concern.

I laughed and wrapped my arm around her shoulder, "Rose, you are my nearest and dearest, but you and I both know that that tiny friend of ours is relentless and will not rest until she has some sort of information. I wasn't going to tell either of you until I was one hundred percent sure. So don't get upset."

"So are you?"

"Am I what?"

"One hundred percent sure."

I quickly thought back on the last week and mine and Edward's professions of love. I was in love. _We_ were in love. And he wanted more…_I_ wanted more.

I smiled shyly and nodded my head. "Yeah, I'm one hundred percent sure."

Suddenly Rosalie and I were wrapped in each other's arms, jumping and squealing like two little high-schoolers who just got invited to prom. It felt good to let go and be a little silly with her. We didn't do it often and usually it required copious amounts of alcohol on my part.

Once we finally settled down she insisted on knowing all the details. I told her to call Alice and meet at my place in fifteen minutes.

They were there in ten.

"Knock, knock," Alice called as she opened my door. Rosalie trailed behind her with my mail in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other.

Once we were settled, with wine in hand, they started into me.

"What's his name?" Alice fired.

I blushed a little. "His name is Edward and we work together."

"Did you sleep with him?" Rose asked.

"Jeez, Rose. Get right to the point, why don't you." I laughed, my cheeks getting darker by the second.

"Well, did you?" Alice chimes in.

My cheeks were hot and I knew they could see the crimson blush splay across my face. My ears were flaming. I couldn't even look them in the eyes.

"Look! Look at her blush," Rosalie yells and points. "She did. You did," she continued as she looked between me and Alice.

Alice's eyes widened and I thought she was in shock. She hadn't said anything. My eyes darted back and forth between the two of them before a huge grin spread across my face. I looked away from them and simply nodded my head in confirmation.

The scream that came from Alice's vocal cords was high enough to break precious glass. She hopped up onto the sofa and jumped around like a little kid, pumping her feet as though she was auditioning for the movie Flashdance.

"Ohmygosh, ohmygosh, Oh. My. Gosh."

She stopped and jerked her feet out from under her, landing with a loud plop and sitting Indian-style on the sofa like her little dance was normal. Her little breakdown had Rose and I laughing so hard we couldn't breathe.

"Bella, this is serious. You never have sex with just any guy. He's special to you. He's…he's…he's your lobster!"

Damned Alice and her Friends references. I swear she could be a more convincing Phoebe than Lisa Kudrow.

I rolled my eyes at her while Rosalie starting laughing again. "Lobster? Fuck, Alice, its 2010, join us will you?"

She waved her hand at Rosalie to dismiss her comment. "Oh, shut up. You know it's true. She never sleeps with anyone who she's not serious about and it usually takes months to work up to sex. It's been what, a week? I know it's serious, I can feel it." She pressed her palm flat against her heart and stared off into nothing.

Rosalie rolled her eyes and scoffed at Alice. My eyes roamed between the two of them and I had to tell them. I needed to let it out. Telling Edward was one thing. One _big_ thing. But telling my girls? It just felt right. All of it. I needed the girl-talk just as much as I needed to see Edward again.

I cleared my throat and stared at the space between them. "She's right," I announced quietly. "I'm in love." I just put it out there...plain and simple.

Rosalie's breathing hiked and Alice looked smug.

They both jumped to their feet at the same time and pulled me up from my chair in a bone crushing Bella-sandwich type hug.

They both squealed and yammered as they held me tight. The only words I could hear were, "happy", "perfect", "can't believe" and of course "lobster." Alice.

We spent the afternoon together drinking wine and talking about my time with Edward in Chicago. I told them most of the details…but not all of them. Some things were meant to be kept sacred. Not that they didn't try to pry that stuff out of me though.

_I think it's important that they at least meet him in person before his penis size is shared_, Miss Carefree slurred around her own wine glass.

Miss Responsible peeked over her novel and stared wide eyed at her friend. I wasn't sure if she was in shock because Miss Carefree gave such consideration or that she was willing to share the information.

By early evening I was exhausted. Edward and I hadn't had much sleep the night before, what with all the late-night/early-morning talking we had done.

Miss Carefree raised her eyebrows and cleared her throat. _Alright_, what with all the late night/early morning _sexing_ we had done. She grinned from ear to ear and nodded her head once, just to show she had proved her point.

Edward called and we talked for a bit. Since we were both tired, we agreed to meet up some time tomorrow.

I unpacked my suitcase and wondered briefly if I would ever see my other luggage and clothes again. It wasn't like I was attached to any of it, but it would be nice to have a few…things back.

I went to bed early and fell asleep fast.

When I woke up the next morning I barely registered the sunlight shining through my curtains. It was still early but the night's rest felt really great. Of course it helped that Edward was the star of my dreams.

I hopped out of bed and headed to the shower. I stood under the stream of water and let it cascade around me. The warm water felt delicious on my skin. I thought of Edward and wondered what he was doing this morning. I smiled at the though that he was probably still in bed sleeping.

_Hmmm, Edward in bed,_ Miss Carefree moaned.

After a long, productive shower of shaving and buffing I stepped out on the little rug and dried off. I put my silk robe on and cinched it around my waist. I had missed the simplicity of the fabric around me. Just as I ran a brush through my wet hair there was a knock at the door. I wondered who it could be because it was still fairly early for a Saturday.

When I made my way to the door I looked through the peep-hole to find nothing. It was black. Whoever it was, was trying to be funny. I rolled my eyes. It was probably Rosalie because she was always the one telling me to check who was at the door before I answered it. It was a test.

"Who is it?" I called in a sing-song voice.

Nothing.

"Hello?"

Still nothing.

"Rose is that you?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

A gruff sounding voice answered, "No ma'am. Special delivery."

I straightened my back thinking it was a little strange that a delivery man would cover my peep-hole.

"Well, you can just leave it at the door. Thank you."

"You'll need to sign for it ma'am," he returned quickly.

There was something familiar about the voice. I could tell that whoever it was, was trying to disguise their identity.

I smiled, knowing it had to be Edward. Two could play at this game.

"Well, _sir_, I just got out of the shower and am only wearing a robe. I don't think it's appropriate to open the door to a complete stranger while wearing so little."

I heard a gush of air being pushed out of someone's lungs and covered my mouth to hide my giggle.

"Well, ma'am, I can assure you that I will be nothing but professional in delivering my package."

Miss Carefree perked up from her night's sleep with her blind-fold still across her eyes.

"Are you sure that it's _my_ package? Because there are several people who live in this building."

"I _guarantee_ this package is for you and you alone, ma'am," he replied in a slow sexy voice.

I unlocked the door, wrapped my hand around the knob and pulled the door open quickly. No sooner did I have the door open did Edward push forward and wrap me in his arms. His lips covered mine deliciously, making me want him right then and there – door opened and all. He grabbed my ass and pulled me tight against his erection. I wrapped one leg around his and basically tried to climb him. I felt his lips turn up into a smile and he chuckled at my enthusiasm.

When we pulled away from the kiss he smiled down at me sweetly. "You really are in your bathrobe, aren't you?"

I nodded shyly and pulled the belt tighter around my waist.

His grin grew into the sexy smirk I had come to love. "In a teeny, tiny, little bathrobe," he whispered. He fingered at the belt and kissed me once more before pulling back completely.

When I was finally able to take him in I realized he was wearing long basketball shorts and a fitted tee-shirt. He looked…sexy.

"What are you doing here?" I asked.

His grin disappeared with only a playful tug at the corner. "You don't want me here? I can go."

He turned and pretended like he was going to leave so I lunged to grab his bicep with both hands. "No. Don't go. I was just wondering what you were doing. Don't go."

He turned and pulled me against his chest. "I don't think I could ever say no to you, Bella." He kissed me on the tip of my nose and pulled back. "I started out on my morning jog and couldn't get you off my mind." He smiled. "And then I remembered you were on my usual route. So I decided to stop and see you."

I reached up on my toes and kissed his sweet lips. He smirked and kissed me once more.

With his arms still wrapped around me he motioned with his chin to something on the floor behind him. "This was by your door when I came up. Do you want me to bring it in?"

I looked down and saw my lost luggage - now found - sitting beside my door, looking a little worse for wear. They must have tried to deliver it while I was in the shower.

"Oh, my luggage. Yeah, can you bring it in? I thought it would be lost for good."

I unwrapped myself from his embrace and walked into my apartment toward my bedroom, while Edward followed me silently. I pointed to the bed and asked, "Can you just put it there? I need to unpack it later."

When I turned toward him his face was turned up in a beautiful smile as he looked around my bedroom. "I like your room. It's exactly how I pictured it would be."

"And how is that?"

"Beautiful…like you. Not overly girly or flowery. Just …sophisticated."

He always knew how to make me melt. His simple description of my room was both sweet and sexy.

He placed my suitcase on the bed and started to open it for me.

"What? You don't have to do that. I'll just do it later."

"That's okay. I want to help." He smiled down at me flipping the unzipped bag open.

I didn't want to tell him "no" outright but there were a few things – namely one very obvious thing – that I didn't want him to find.

"It's okay, really. I'll unpack it later. Have you had breakfast? I haven't. Let's go get some breakfast. My treat!" I scrambled to find something…anything to get him to stop and change directions.

_You should have thought of sex,_ Miss Carefree chided.

"Bella, I don't mind helping you. And I'm not hungry yet." He turned and took a step toward me. I place my hands on his chest as he wrapped his arms around my waist. He bent down to meet me at eye level and whispered, "It's not like I've never seen your…intimates before. What? Are you hiding something?" He grinned before capturing my lips in the most tortuous way.

Maybe Miss Carefree was on to something.

His hands worked their way across my body like he was mapping out a new country. My legs shivered and my breathing stifled as his fingers slipped through my thin robe and began working my nipples. He lightly pinch and pulled until they were elongated and hard. He worked his way down my stomach, fingers circling my belly button and moving further down until they reached my center. Ever so gently he caressed my outer lips with his soft fingers, rubbing but never touching the places I needed most. So quickly, he broke away from our kiss and moved his hands back to my hips.

I stood in a daze of Edward induced lust while he smirked at me like the Cheshire Cat.

Miss Carefree stomped her foot childishly and screamed, _He did that shit on purpose!_

Miss Responsible smiled and tsked at us both for getting so caught up in the moment. Although I could see that her breathing had picked up.

I couldn't help it. When Edward and I were together I found anything and everything else hard to concentrate on.

Miss Carefree folded her arms across her chest and left the room, slamming the door.

His lips met the shell of my ear and his breath was hot. "Tell me, sweet girl, what are you hiding in there?" He kissed my neck before tilting his head toward my bed where the suitcase lay opened.

My cheeks flamed and I felt too hot, even in my thin robe with my hair still wet. I shook my head to say "no" and darted my eyes from his sexy smirk to my suitcase and back. I debated on what to do. I could make a run for it. He wasn't going to give up easily and it appeared that _he_ would try the sex tactic that Miss Carefree so wisely suggested.

I scurried around him to block his path and he wrapped his hand around the top of my arm.

"Ah, ah," he scolded. "That blush I love so much tells me that I really, _really_ want to know what you've got hidden in there."

I managed to slip from his light grip and dove onto the case like a crazy person. At that point I should have just given up. He was going to find it sooner or later and then we could probably have a little fun with it. He laughed and lifted me easily placing me to stand on the floor, my robe terribly askew.

"Edward," I whined. "This is so embarrassing."

I moved to block him again but he pushed his large hand against my chest to keep me at arms length. With his other hand he started to root through my clothes.

I backed away from his hold and he eyed me suspiciously. He seemed satisfied that I had given up so easily. But I hadn't. In a last ditch attempt to thwart him I jumped onto his back – while he has his attention turned to my clothes - and wrapped my legs around his waist, placing my hands over his eyes.

He laughed and straightened up, causing me to slip from him and land with a thud on the flood.

"Omph."

"Bella."

He turned toward me completely and came to see if I was okay. I may or may not have feigned that I was more hurt than not.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Bella. I thought you had a better grip."

He lifted me to my feet and rubbed my butt in apology. I accepted it immediately.

"Are you okay? Where does it hurt?" he asked.

I placed my hands over his and pouted.

"Aww, sweet girl, I'm sorry I let you fall."

He leaned in to kiss me lightly and I took the opportunity to distract him. I tilted my head and opened my mouth to him, he immediately followed. His grip on my ass tightened and I moved my hands to his shoulders. He lifted me and held me tight against his growing erection. I really, _really_ like Edward in workout clothes.

I thought I had him.

A smile tugged at the corner of our kiss and he backed away slowly. "You've recovered awfully quickly Miss Swan."

I shrugged my shoulders and gave him my sweetest I-have-no-idea-what-you-mean look, fluttering lashes and all.

With me firmly in his grasp he walked back to my suitcase. I gave up. If he wanted to dig through it, I'd let him. I had exhausted all my available recourses to no avail. He grinned at me, knowing he had won. With a huff, I stuck my tongue out at him and put on my best pout-face but he only laughed. I put my head on his shoulder and just waited for the inevitable.

It didn't take him long to find it.

His breathing stilled and I could feel his heartbeat pick up through our thin clothes. I sighed into his neck and waited for his reaction.

He didn't move. I had no idea what he was thinking.

It wasn't _that_ bad. A lot of women had one. Or better yet, some women had other…bigger, more elaborate kinds. His non-reaction scared me a bit. I held my breath and lifted my head from his shoulder – looking at him through squinted eyes. He glanced at me with a distant look in his eyes before sweeping them back to the box he currently held in his free hand.

I bit my lip and turned to look over my shoulder. The object of our playful fight sat quietly in a long box in his hand. I looked back toward him and his eyes bore into mine – his vibrant green barely there as the black of his pupil took over. He looked feral.

Faster than I could register, my suitcase was shoved off the bed – me in its place - and Edward was pressed against me deliciously. His mouth covered mine and took a familiar frenzied pace.

As he worked his lips down my neck and across my chest I could hear a growl rumble deep within his chest. His hot breath crashed over my skin as his words flowed. "Bella, is this what you were hiding?" The question was rhetorical but my silence answered his question.

"Bella, Bella, Bella." He sounded terribly calm. "Did you used to use this when you were all alone? Before me?" My purple vibrator stood proudly in his hand.

Miss Carefree poked her head around the door she previously exited. _How in the hell did he get that unboxed so fast? He'll have to teach me that trick._

His eyes met mine briefly as I nodded in confirmation. He groaned.

He eyed the toy with a bit of fascination before he found the 'on' switch. With a flick of his finger it came to life, the familiar sound buzzing throughout the room.

"Is this what you want, Bella? Would you rather have this toy instead of me?" He pressed it between my breasts and slowly drew it down toward my center, not bothering on waiting for my answer. The buzz felt nice but I knew only Edward could give me_ true _pleasure. The toy was merely that…a toy; something to play with and discard when I was bored of it.

I shook my head and reached to still the vibrator he has pressed against my heat. He turned the toy off and threw it to the floor. His sudden kiss was more of an attack but I welcomed it.

"I want to be the one to make you cum Bella. Me…and only me," he snarled possessively across my bare breasts. My robe lay open around me with the belt barely looped across my stomach. He greedily reached the belt and slipped it away completely, his black eyes raking across my body.

He was kneeling between my legs seemingly contemplating what to do with me next. I sat up and pulled his elastic banded shorts down, watching his cock spring free and slap across his rippled stomach. Our eyes met before I leaned in and took a long languid lick from base to tip. In an involuntary twitch it moved, bringing it closer to my mouth. I took the tip in and heard him groan.

I wanted to get him off with my mouth but he had other plans. He brushed his arms over my shoulders and removed what was left of my robe. After tugging his shirt off he practically pressed me through the mattress as he laid with force back between my legs. I started to giggle but he put an end to that by sucking on my neck. In. That. Spot. When he kissed me there, an unmistakable shiver ran down my back and arms, and he chuckled. Yeah, he was fully aware of that spot.

He held himself up on his elbow, his thick cock resting right at my entrance. He looked into my eyes before speaking. _"__Tu mi fai impazzire con il bisogno,"_he spoke in Italian, making me melt. He pushed at my opening, filling me slowly. His eyes bore into mine as his hands gently captured my face. _**"**__Mi piace fare l'amore con te, Bella."_ He pushed deeper and pulled back just as slowly. _"__Io vado a ti scopata duro."_

With those last words he pushed deeply back into me making me moan in pleasure. I had no idea what he had said but I was sure it didn't matter. Edward speaking Italian to me while pushing his cock against my G-spot over and over again was a heady combination. No sooner had we started a delightful pounding rhythm did he have me on the cusp.

"Edward. Oh…oh fuck. Edward…I'm gonna…I'm-"

"Are you cumming Bella?"

I could only nod vigorously, my eyes screwed shut and fingers clawing at his shoulders.

"I want to see you cum all around me, Bella. Only I can make you cum like this. Say it," he demanded, his breath harsh against the skin on my neck.

"O…oh."

He pounded into me relentlessly, hitting me just the right way at just the right moment.

"Say it," he practically growled.

"Onlyyou…oh fuck, only you Edward."

"Only I can make you cum like this. No one else…_nothing_ else…only me."

I screamed a wild "Yes" in agreement as I left the ledge and plummeted into incredible pleasure. I was soaring on a high that only he had ever invoked from me.

Edward pushed harder and gave a deep, guttural moan before slowing his hips to short sporadic thrusts. He forehead rest against my shoulder as his hot breath spilled across the swell of my breast.

He slowed to a stop just as my orgasm subsided. My skin burned from the heat of our bodies. He kissed my neck and spoke softly – still trying to catch his breath, "Only you, Bella. You're the only one for me…ever. I love you."

~*SIML*~

After spending a few blissful hours in bed, Edward had to leave to take care of something. We made dinner plans and called our friends to meet us for drinks at Eclipsing Dawn. It was time we introduced one another to our friends.

I finally unpacked my 'found' suitcase and tossed my purple friend into my nightstand. I ran a few errands, cleaned my apartment a bit, did laundry and decided to grocery shop with the extra time I had.

Miss Responsible was pleased with my productive day.

~*SIML*~

After Edward and I had a nice, romantic dinner we were waiting at the club for our friends to arrive. We weren't waiting long before I spotted Rosalie at the bar getting a drink. She gave me a small wave and a cheesy grin before throwing me a "thumbs-up". I rolled my eyes.

A tall, blonde man approached our table and clasped Edward on the shoulder. When he turned he instantly stood up and gave him a hand shake/man hug.

"Jasper, glad you could come, man. I'd like to introduce you to my girlfriend, Bella."

My stomach flip-flopped hearing the word girlfriend. I really, really liked it. I grinned like an idiot before reaching out to Jasper's outstretched hand.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am." His southern accent was hard not to notice. A little smirk grew into the corner of his mouth like he wanted to say something more.

He sat down across from us and addressed Edward, "Have you seen Emmett? I thought he'd be here by now."

"I haven't seen him yet, but I'm sure he'll be here soon," Edward responded.

They talked for a few minutes when I realized that Rose was still at the bar. It appeared something…more like _someone_ had been keeping her. A short guy with a bad mustache had approached her and was chatting her up. I could tell she wasn't interested. He was at least a foot shorter than her and his hair looked over-gelled…or greasy. Her body language gave off a "leave me the fuck alone" vibe, but I could tell she was trying to be polite. Her patience was wearing thin though and she tried to pick up her drink to leave the bar. He grabbed her upper arm and she shot him a "get the fuck off me" look.

Just before I started to turn to Edward to tell him I'd be back, I noticed someone else approach Rosalie and the greasy guy. The man was huge. He was taller than her – which was a feat in it of itself - and had the shoulder span of a linebacker. I could tell there were words exchanged among the three of them before linebacker guy wrapped his arm around Rose's waist and greasy guy scowled. Rose placed her hand on linebacker guy's chest – her hand looked dwarfed – and smiled up at him. I wondered if she knew him. Greasy guy said a few more things – probably not so nice things if I could read his expression correctly. Linebacker guy changed his stance and his face looked intimidating. He said something back to greasy guy whose expression changed. He looked scared.

I smiled inwardly at Rose's appearance. She looked like a tiny porcelain doll in the arms of this huge guy. They looked cute together. And he was helping her out of a nasty situation.

Greasy guy threw a few dollars on the bar before turning on his heal and leaving out the front door.

Edward's hand squeezed my thigh, where it had been resting. I looked up at him and smiled.

"Hey, did you hear me?" He grinned and I shook my head. "My friend Emmett is here." His eyes darted to the bar and back to me again. "Your friends are still coming, aren't they?"

"Yes." I looked up at Rosalie who was now approaching our table with linebacker guy on her arm.

Edward followed my gaze and smiled.

I threw my hand up and waved. "There's Rosalie now, with that big guy in the black shirt."

Edward whipped his head back to me. "Your friend is the blond?" I nodded with a smile. We all knew Rosalie was "the looks" of our little group.

"She's with Emmett?"

Our eyes met and turned back to the couple quickly approaching us. I'm sure at that point he and I looked comical – eyes wide and mouths slightly agape.

Linebacker guy…erm, Emmett and Rosalie reached the table, both wearing huge smiles.

"Hey guys, sorry I'm late. I had to take care of something." He smiled down at Rosalie and she blushed. She _blushed_. Rosalie never lost her composure over a guy.

"It's alright man. So…who's your friend?" Edward asked in response, wondering if Emmett knew that Rose was my friend.

Their eyes darted from Edward, to me and back to each other before I burst out into laughter.

It was clear that neither knew the other and that they finally figured out that we were all friends.

~*SIML*~

Once the table settled we all sat and talked, getting to know one another better. Alice still hadn't arrived but that wasn't much of a surprise. She was always late to things like this. I wasn't sure if it was the whole "fashionably late" thing or because she had some many damned clothes she couldn't decide what to wear. She'd be late to her own funeral.

Half an hour later she danced through the crowd and plopped down in the only available seat at our table – fruity drink in hand.

"Hey guys. Sorry I'm late. There was some terrible traffic so I guess there was an accident or something and I told the cab driver Eclipsing Dawn but he went to some other place that we should try some time it looked really great from the outside and had a long line so I guess it's pretty popular-"

"Alice," Rose and I shouted simultaneously. We were used to her little one sentence rants but the guys sat baffled.

"Sorry." She grinned and finally took a look around the table.

She reached her hand out to Edward. "You must be her Edward. I've heard a lot about you." She nodded as if she knew more than she really did.

Edward looked down at me and smiled before returning her sentiment, "Alice I presume? I've heard a lot about you too."

Her eyes lit up and I could tell she instantly liked him. She glanced at me and her grin grew. She loved to be the center of attention.

"Well, all good things I hope," she said before glancing to Edward's right. Jasper sat quietly, watching the whole scene.

She appeared not to hear Edward's response as her eyes sort of glazed over.

"Hi," she squeaked out.

His blue eyes met her hazel and the room no longer existed around them. He smirked in response.

"Alice, this is my friend Jasper." A throat cleared to my left but didn't break their gaze. "And this is Emmett," Edward finished.

Alice didn't bother looking toward Emmett. She just threw a tiny wave in his direction and continued to lock eyes with Jasper.

Emmett looked mildly insulted. "Oookay."

Rose grabbed his hand and pulled him to stand. "Come dance with me." His mood improved one thousand fold.

A soft touch brushed my hair away from my shoulder before Edward's lips reached my ear. "Come dance with me, beautiful."

I turned slightly to kiss his soft lips before I sighed and nodded. I hated to dance but had no ability to ever tell Edward no.

"Alice." I called her name to get her attention but she and Jasper were still in some weird eye-fuck-lock.

Edward chuckled and pulled me to stand with him. "They'll be okay. Just give them a minute." I nodded and let him wrap his arm around my waist and pull me to the dance floor.

Once we reached the center of the room the music changed to a slow jazzy song. Edward pulled me tight against him and placed his thigh between my legs. His eyes blazed with lust, though he had me twice that morning. I blushed but wound my arms around his neck, securing my fingers into his hair at the nape of his neck.

We moved in synch with one another while the music reverberated around us. Edward's body commanded the lead and I followed while our eyes never lost their intense contact. His hands on my hips guided me to move with him, making me feel sexy and sensual even if in the middle of a dance floor full of people.

Without breaking our movements, his hand moved slowly from my hip to the curve of my ass before reaching my thigh and pulling it up around his hip. My breath caught in my throat as the move brought my heated center against his very hard and prominent erection. The intense current that always surged around us pooled and burned in an unfathomable inferno, igniting us both.

His mouth crashed into mine and I met him with equal fever. The music continued to ebb and push us closer together. Fingers still wrapped around my thigh slid further and met the seam of my jeans. The room and people around us melted into the distance and the only thing mattered anymore was Edward. Our kiss grew more urgent as our bodies continued to move together as one. I moved one hand from his shoulder and glided it down his arm. I rested my palm against his chest for a brief second before continuing down his ridged abs – feeling them ripple under my touch – until I reached the waist of his jeans. His breathing hiked and he pulled away from our kiss to look into my eyes. He was so hard and ready I could feel the head of his cock peeking over the top. Luckily for Edward, his button up shirt – not so neatly tucked in anymore - covered it. I slipped a finger into one of the openings between the buttons of his shirt and rubbed the precum around until the head of his cock was as slick as my panties. Our eyes met and he cocked an eyebrow at me. I pulled my finger from his shirt and licked it before giving him a sexy smile.

Once again he crashed his lips to mine, moaning into my mouth at the taste of himself on my tongue. His fingers tightened against my pussy and rubbed harder than before. I pulled from the kiss and threw my head back. His lips attached to my jaw and moved down my throat sucking and nipping until he reached my shoulder.

Our movements could no longer be considered dancing as we basically fucked on the dance floor.

My hand covered his jean covered cock to push and pressed. I wanted him…now. And he wanted me. We had to get out of there.

Our eyes met again and I knew he wanted the same thing. We needed to leave…now.

We moved as one, as if we were still dancing. He released my leg; I released his hair and smoothed out his shirt. He grabbed my hand and we left the dance floor still in synch with one another.

I stole a glance at our table and it was empty. I grabbed my cell phone from my back pocket and sent Rose and Alice a quick text.

**Going home. Have fun! Love ya! –B**

I only felt mildly bad that I had left my friends there in the club with guys they hardly knew.

_Turn about is fair play if you ask me_, Miss Carefree sniped.

We were out the door and racing toward Edward's car in no time flat. I didn't bother waiting for a response from the girls as I turned my phone off and put it back into my pocket. He pushed me against the passenger side door and kissed the hell out me again. His erection was pressed against my stomach and I wanted nothing more than to fuck him against his car right there in the parking lot.

Miss Responsible cocked an eyebrow at me and folded her arms across her chest.

Yeah, I guess that wasn't the best idea I had ever had. I wasn't much of an exhibitionist - though car sex might be in our very near future.

Our mouths broke apart and he trailed his tongue down my throat and nipped at my blouse.

"Edward," I breathed.

"Yeah, sweet girl?"

"Edward, take me home, I want you."

He pulled back and looked into my eyes, as if searching for something before responding to me. "Anything your heart desires, my love."

He kissed my lips sweetly once more before opening the door and waiting for me to sit. He pulled his car out of the parking lot and shot through the streets like he owned the road. My hand wandered across the console and I couldn't help but rub against the heavy bulge in his pants. His fingers tightened against the steering wheel and he shot me a warning glare.

"You're going to be the death of me, beautiful."

~*SIML*~

**Italian Translation:**

**Special thanks to my Twilighted beta, Dani aka xrxdanixrx for the Italian translation help!**

"_**Tu mi fai impazzire con il bisogno."**_** = "****You make me crazy with need." **

"_**Mi piace fare l'amore con te, Bella."**_** = "****I love making love to you, Bella." **

"_**Io vado a ti scopata duro."**_** = "I'm going to fuck you hard."**

~*SIML*~

**I want to send a special "thank you" to MandyLeigh010 for hosting the One Shot Soundtrack Challenge. If you don't already know my latest one shot, My Galway Girl, WON first place! I am beyond excited to have won amoungst so many great authors!**** I want to thank each and every one of you who read, reviewed and voted for me!**

**ALSO: Mandy and I, along with several additional authors, are collaborating in a round robin story. It's going to be interesting to see what we all come up with and should be really fun. Please follow us here www(dot)fanfiction(dot)net/u/2664928/FFCollab**

**If you're an author and would like to join in the round robin with us, please send a PM to that fanfic site. We would love to have you!**


	10. Chapter 10

**IMPORTANT Author Note at the end!**

**Disclaimer: **

**Stephenie Meyer dreamed sweet, sexy Edward into existence and gave him Bella to play with. I'm doing the same…only dirtier. I DO NOT OWN, NOR CLAIM TO OWN Twilight or anything of the like. **

**Warning: **

**I've warned you over and over again. If you're under age and STILL reading this, it's on you.**

**Special love to my beta batgirl8968 who worked on this while trying to get her higher education AND she's sick. Feel better bb! Thanks for all your help!**

~*SIML*~

EPOV

My cock was beyond aching. It was pressed tightly against my zipper and barely contained within the confines of my pants. What Bella did to me on the dance floor was beyond anything I could have comprehended when I asked her to dance with me. If it were at all possible, I think I feel in love with her even more.

As I maneuvered through the Saturday night traffic one thing was clear: Bella and I were not going to leave my bed until sometime late tomorrow. I had to have her and we weren't going to stop until our bodies refused to move any longer.

I felt something slowly slide up my thigh and looked down to confirm that her fingers were, indeed, making their way to my hardened bulge. I glanced to my right at Bella staring out the window. She appeared oblivious – as if her hand had a mind of its own – except for the tiny smirk splayed across her lips.

I knew what she was doing.

She knew what she was doing.

It was driving me crazy.

I gripped the steering wheel tighter and inhaled sharply once her roaming fingers reached my cock. She lightly rubbed the tips of her fingers up and down my shaft as if she were searching for something. I was tempted to pull down an alley and fuck her right there in the car. But I wanted her in my bed…right now.

Her hand wrapped around my covered cock and started to pump up and down. My eyes rolled back into my head for a second and I'm sure I almost caused an accident. The sound of a car horn brought my eyes back to the road and confirmed that I missed a stop sign. I waved my hand in apology as the other driver raised his middle finger.

I looked over at Bella when she suddenly moved her hand from my dick. Her eyes were wide and her lip was tucked tightly between her teeth. She caught my eye and looked down at her hands in her lap.

"Sorry," she whispered.

I chuckled and she whipped her head to look back at me.

I gave her my most sincere smile. "It's okay, Bella. I'm just sorry that I can't seem to keep my head on straight whenever you're near me. No worries, sweet girl."

She stayed quiet the rest of the way to my place and her once wandering hand stayed in her lap. I didn't want her to think I was upset so I grabbed her hand and laced our fingers together. She smiled up at me and let me place our hands on my lap.

Once I pulled into my spot in the garage I looked over at Bella. She smiled shyly at me, which baffled me. Not thirty minutes prior she had her finger spreading my precum around the head of my cock and then licked said finger. And not twenty minutes after, tried to give me a hand job in the car. I loved how she could be a sexy vixen one minute and shy the next.

"Is this okay? I figured my place was closer." I shrugged. That wasn't really the whole reason, though my place _was_ closer – even if only by a mile. The real reason was that, unless she called a cab, she was stuck with me until I took her home. And since I held the keys – literally – she was not going to be leaving any time soon.

She nodded in agreement so I stepped out of the car and jogged to her side to open the door. Once the door was closed and the alarm set I pulled her against my chest again. I loved to feel her soft, smooth curves against me. I kissed her sweetly, not wanting to take her right there in the garage. Though the thought of someone catching us fucking out there was a little exciting. I grabbed her hand as we moved toward the elevator.

The 14 floor ride was fast and before we knew it I was opening the door to my apartment. I tossed my keys into the bowl by the door and turned to face Bella, who had stepped a little further into my living room. Her eyes were wide and danced all around the space. My apartment was slightly bigger than I needed but the view was the reason I moved in. The floor to ceiling glass windows gave a clear view of the city and the lights of the downtown nightlife illuminated the room - if just barely. I rarely closed the shades because I loved the view.

"Edward, this place is amazing," she said in awe.

I stepped closer to her and took her into my arms shaking my head. "No, the apartment is okay. You, my beautiful girlfriend, are amazing," I said thinking about our lust-filled dance.

I cupped one hand behind at her nape and wrapped the other around the small of her back before I lightly kissed her awaiting lips. She snaked her arms around my neck, her fingers tangling into my hair, as she tilted her head to deepen our connection. Our kiss turned from sweet to heat in a matter of seconds. My hands moved to grip her hips and pulled her tight against my ever present erection. Her small sigh confirmed that she needed me as much as I needed her. Still kissing, I lead her into the living room and pressed her against the back of the sofa. She gasped and threw a hand down to steady herself - as if I'd ever let her go. We kissed for a while with me bent down slightly to reach her soft lips. Her fingers started to roam across my abs and down to the edge of my jeans. They danced there, lightly, for a minute before she moved them and pressed her palm against my throbbing hard on. I thrust my hips against her hand and was rewarded with a second hand, rubbing and grabbing. Letting me out of my misery, she tugged the button through the hole and made quick work of my zipper. She released me from the confines of my jeans and boxers and wrapped her warm fingers around my shaft. I moaned in appreciation. She tightened her grip slightly before pumping me up and down, her thumb swirling around the head of my cock on the upward motion.

As much as I loved her hands on my cock, she had teased me enough for the night. I was going to have my wicked way with her and it was going to start with me tasting her sweet pussy. I had yet to go down on Bella because I wasn't sure how she would feel about it. Some women liked it and others...well, not that I really would know because I never really had anyone complain.

I decided that the sofa was as good a place as any to start our night. It was the perfect height for me to reach her center while I was on my knees.

I backed away from her slowly to allow her to release my lips and my cock. I missed the connection almost immediately. She looked up at me with confused eyes and I smirked at her.

"You have too many clothes on, beautiful."

We made quick work of our clothes and stood naked in my living room with only the city lights below glowing into the room. When she reached for my cock again I pulled back and shook my head.

"Ah, ah, sweet girl, you've teased me enough tonight. Now it's your turn."

"Edward-"

I didn't let her finish and kissed her hard to quiet her protest. I guided her until she sat on the back of the sofa as I began to kneel between her legs. Releasing her lips, I kissed down the column of her neck as she tilted her head to allow my access. Slowly I kissed my way down to her breasts that were sorely neglected on my part. Now on my knees, I reached up and caressed her left breast in the palm of my hand and teased the other with my tongue. I closed my lips around her nipple and flicked my tongue across the taut peak.

"Unghhh," she moaned and grasped my hair in her fist.

Determined to tease her as much as she teased me earlier I merely switched my mouth to attend to her other breast. As I began to circle my tongue I could tell Bella was getting completely worked up. I could feel the heat from her core radiating against my chest because of my kneeling position between her legs. I pressed her nipple between my lips and pulled back to watch it elongate, giving one last lick before lightly blowing warm air against it.

"Ungh, Edward, please," she begged.

"What is it? What do you want?" I taunted.

"Please, I need you. I need to feel you."

"I'm right here, beautiful. Feel me," I commanded as I moved my way down her stomach, kissing and licking.

Her grip of my hair tightened and I was afraid she might not want me to go down on her. But fuck I wanted to...so badly.

Boldly I kissed further south, determined to at least try. I knew once I got started she would like it. Once I reached her hip I looked up and met her eyes. Her hooded eyes shined with lust but the small smile that played across her lips was all the confirmation I needed. I returned my lips to the heated skin of her hip and continued to kiss my way down to her center. I kissed her bare lips before snaking my tongue out to taste her fully. Involuntarily my eyes rolled back in my head and my mouth attached to her pussy. We both moaned together - her from the joy my mouth and tongue was giving her - me because I had never tasted anything more amazing. I could have stayed there forever.

As I enjoyed the pure essence of Bella, she moaned, mewled and gripped at my hair and neck. Being the multi-tasker that I am, I wrapped my hand around the back of her knee and gently placed her foot on my thigh - opening her up more for me. I circled my tongue around her clit and lightly flicked it. Her breathing caught and I knew she was close. Sliding my hand up and around her thigh I finally reached her core. I slipped a finger into her heat as my tongue continued its beautiful torture on her swollen clit. I moaned as I felt her walls enclose around me. Slipping a second finger in I turned them to reach the sweet spot I knew would drive her mad. She didn't disappoint. She moved her hips in time with my fingers and tongue and moaned as her walls clamped down tight around me.

I was so hard and ready to have my cock deep inside her I barely gave her time to come down from her orgasm before I stood up and drove into her.

She screamed in pleasure while I groaned at the sensation of her wrapped all around my cock. Her insides fluttered yet again and clamped down around me in an unexpected orgasm. Her garbled words and digging nails were deliciously played across my skin. I slowed my rhythm and allowed her to come down...to come back to me. I placed my forehead against hers and kept my movements slow and steady. She opened to her eyes to mine and smiled the most beautiful smile.

"I love you," she claimed as I leaned in for a slow kiss.

When I pulled back I answered, "I love you too. But I'm not nearly done with you just yet."

I widened my eyes with a smirk on my lips. She giggled and held me tighter. I grabbed her ass and lifted her with me, careful to not break our connection. I walked her to my bedroom and sat on the side of the bed, with her straddling my hips. With her arms still around my neck and my hands gripping her hips I pounded into her yet again. She threw her head back and I leaned in to attack her neck. The steady pounding was a huge relief to my cock as I continued to sink deep within her heat. If she didn't cum again soon, I would and that was unacceptable. I wanted it to last much, much longer.

I kissed and nipped at her neck and up to the sensitive spot just below her ear. "Cum for me, baby," I breathed across her hot skin.

Her movements became erratic but I kept our momentum with my hands on her hips. Her breathing hiked and then stopped. She tightened around my cock yet again and exploded. I was thankful for her orgasm because I was too close to finishing myself.

Her breathing returned and she screamed for me. "Oh...Edward. Ungh. Fuck. Edward. Oh...oh..unhhhhhhhh." I loved to hear my name in her breaths.

As her orgasm wound down I slowed to a stop and wrapped an arm around her waist while the other reached around her neck to anchor her against me. Her arms hung loosely around my neck and her forehead pressed against my shoulder, her breathing coming in fast pants. She had melted into me and I was sure my arms were the only thing holding her up.

I placed my lips against the shell of her ear and whispered, "That's three, sweet girl. How many do you want tonight?"

Her body shuddered in my arms. I held her for a minute with a smug look on my face. When her breathing returned to normal I slid us to the center of the bed and rolled her onto her back. I smiled down at her and leaned into her lips. With a hairsbreadth between us I whispered against her lips, "How many, beautiful?"

"Huh?"

I chuckled at her response. I had worn her out. Including the hours we had spent in her bed that morning and the small amount of time we had been at it in my apartment, she was six orgasms in for the day and her brain could no longer respond to such a simple question.

I hovered over her and started to slowly kiss every inch of her face and neck, my weeping cock resting against her thigh, hard and ready for release.

She gently brushed her fingers across my face and swept them into my hair. I leaned up on my elbows and waited for a response. Her lust laden eyes nearly closed completely as she smiled up at me.

"One more, baby. I want one more," she whispered. "But this time…I want you to cum with me."

Our lips crashed together again and I pressed the head of my dick into her heat. She opened her legs wide so I could push my way in. Ever so slowly I sank further and further into her ecstasy. Her legs wrapped around my thighs and I pushed as deep as I could reach, tilting upward before I pulled back to do it all over again.

The slow build from our love making was driving me insane. I needed her to cum once more before I released, so I slid her legs up higher around my hips. The change pushed me ever deeper and made Bella throw her head back in surprise. I stayed deep and pressed harder into her pussy. Her clit was trapped between us and was being worked over by my pelvic bone.

She didn't stand a chance.

I felt it building, in both her and me. Her nails dug deep into my shoulder blades as I pushed us higher and higher. Our erratic breathing and low moans drowned out the sound of the headboard hitting the wall.

Finally…_finally,_ she crumbled underneath me. As soon as I felt her tighten around me, I let it go…all of it.

No words were said only moans and whimpers filled the air around us.

I continued to pump my cock into her as we both drowned in our releases. When we both finally slowed to a stop I couldn't find it in me to let her go, much less roll off of her. I held my weight up on my elbows as best I could and stayed connected with her in the most intimate way. My head rested on her shoulder and I turned to kiss the sweet spot on her neck.

"I love you."

"I love you too, baby."

That was the second time she had called me that –baby…and I liked it.

~*SIML*~

BPOV

The room was too bright behind my eyelids. Why was it so bright?

I thought back to the previous night and smiled at the memory. Staying the night with Edward wasn't what we had planned but I liked it…a lot.

I refused to let Miss Responsible bitch about the fact that I had no clean clothes or a toothbrush. Well, not much anyway. I would adapt. Miss Responsible cocked an eyebrow at me and folded her arms across her chest.

I mentally shrugged and then thought about my Edward. His warm body was pressed tight against my back and his heavy arm was wrapped around my waist. I snuggled deeper into him and was rewarded with a groan and his morning hard on pressed against my butt. I wiggled a little and giggled when he tightened his arms around me. He was beyond cute when he slept. What I loved was that, even in his sleep, he held me tight.

I opened my eyes and was rewarded with a beautiful view of the Seattle skyline. I could see above several buildings and the sun beamed through the windows without obstruction. It was almost too bright...for Seattle anyway.

I lay there for a while trying to decide if I wanted to wait for Edward to wake up, or go ahead and get up without him.

My bladder won out.

I gently moved Edward's arm from around my waist and had to stop at one point because I thought the movement would wake him. He mumbled something unintelligible and made me giggle again.

Once I was finally up I grabbed one of his shirts from the huge closet. As I pushed my arms through the sleeves I couldn't help but nuzzle my nose into the fabric. I just couldn't get enough of him. I loved the way he smelled and liked the idea that he was wrapped around me.

After going to the bathroom and freshening up a bit I couldn't just hop back into bed. I was too awake and would definitely wake him up if I did that.

Miss Carefree liked the idea and stripped her tiny nightgown off as if she were going to hop right on him.

I decided breakfast would probably be a better idea.

I made my way down the hallway and refused to let curiosity get the better of me. When we came in the night before, Edward and I had barely said a handful of words before we were going at it like bunnies. I never got the chance to get a full on tour of his place. I would wait for him to get up and show me instead of plundering through his stuff.

The kitchen though, I knew where that was. The stainless steel appliances looked new and I barely contained my laughter when I looked through his cabinets. He was a typical bachelor. There was some food but nothing substantial and certainly nothing to make breakfast. I looked into the refrigerator and found eggs, bacon and butter. I could do something with that.

As I finished up and put the last pad of butter on the toast I felt warm arms wrap around my waist. Edward pushed my hair over my shoulder and kissed his way from my shoulder to my ear. I shivered as his nose reached just behind my ear and his lips lightly grazed my skin as he spoke.

"Mmmm, something smells good."

I giggled and pointed at the small spread before us. I was able to make cheesy, scrambled eggs, bacon, toast and have a few slices of apple for each of us. "I made breakfast. Although you are seriously lacking in the food department."

His only response way a deep "hmm" as he continued to kiss up and down my neck.

"Edward…breakfast?" I panted.

"Yeah," kiss, "the food," kiss, "smells good too," he commented in a statement broken with sweet kisses.

I rolled my eyes and turned in his arms. I place my hands on his bare chest and pushed a little.

"Come on. Let's eat before it gets cold."

"Aww," he whined like a little kid who didn't want to do something he was told. "But you look so delicious wearing nothing but my shirt. You know how much I love you in my clothes. I'd rather eat you and save the eggs for later." He fingered the buttons on my –his- shirt and tried to get them open.

I smirked at his pouty face and quickly moved around him and away from his grasp. He looked over his shoulder at me with a playful grin.

"Breakfast first, then a tour." I cocked an eyebrow at him and his grin melted into a sheepish smile.

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I never gave you a proper tour, did I?"

~*SIML*~

During breakfast our conversation was light and we didn't delve too deep into any one topic. After a while Edward got a pensive look about him and I couldn't help but ask.

I brushed my hand over his and asked, "Everything okay? You seem lost in thought."

He blinked a few times and smiled at me sweetly. "Yeah, everything is…great. I was just thinking," he said before looking back down at his plate.

"About?" I probably shouldn't have asked but he seemed so distracted.

He pushed the last bite of his eggs around with the crust of his toast and chuckled. He tilted his head just enough to meet my eyes.

My face must have looked as concerned as my heart felt because he widened his eyes and grasped my hand.

"Don't. I don't like to see that look on your face." He sighed and started again. "It's not a big deal, really. You're probably going to laugh."

I eyed him suspiciously and he chuckled again. "I love you, sweet girl. It's nothing serious, I promise. It's just… well…" he hedged.

He began again but started into a long, nervous ramble that would rival once of Alice's. "I wasn't going to tell you but now you're getting upset and I don't like to see you upset. I was just thinking about how much I love you and how it happened so fast and that I hoped you didn't feel overwhelmed or anything and that I should probably tell you that I've had the biggest crush on your for almost a year but I didn't think you were interested in anyone, at least not at the office, because you always keep to yourself and then when I saw you in Chicago and you needed help I wanted to be the one to help you and I'm so glad that I did because I have you here now and I love you so much." Running out of air toward the end the last few words were almost a squeaky whisper.

Relief washed through me before the blush crept its way up my face. He wasn't having second thoughts; he was worried about overwhelming me. What he didn't know –and something I needed to fix right away- was that I was so ridiculously in love with him that there were times I couldn't even think straight.

I stood from my chair and walked around the table to sit on his lap. We wrapped our arms around one another. The steady rise and fall of our chest was the only movement for a long while as we just breathed each other in.

After several minutes I raised my head and kissed along his stubbled jaw line. My lips reached his and made slow, sweet progress to his tongue. We stayed that way for a while longer before I placed my hands on the sides of his face and met his eyes. His emerald gaze gave away his thoughts – love with a touch of vulnerability.

He needed to know I was in this just as deep as he was.

"Edward Cullen, I am so in love with you." The worry vanished from his beautiful eyes and they held only love.

"Yes, it was fast. Yes, I was worried. Love is not something you can control and that scares me to death. But I love you, Edward, more than words can describe. I'm here…always."

Our lips met in a chaste peck before I looked down at my lap and muttered the last bit. "And I've had the biggest crush on you since I accidentally bumped into you, spilling your coffee on both of us, on my first day at the office."

Crimson glowed red hot across my cheeks as I remembered my first day at Volturi Inc.

His fingers lifted my chin and our eyes connected. "Love at first sight, beautiful. _L'amore a prima vista_." He chuckled and kissed me once more.

~*SIML*~

After we finally finished breakfast and Edward gave me a tour of his apartment. It was beautiful, as I imagined it would be. He was either a closet decorator or had someone do it for him. The deep browns and blacks seemed to fit with the modern flow of the space. Of course I feel in love with his kitchen with the black granite counter tops and stainless steel appliances. I was in heaven.

We spent the remainder of the day in various positions on various surfaces of his home. The weekend was the perfect ending to a perfect week. I refused to let my mind wander too far into the future. Work would come soon enough.

~*SIML*~

**Okay, okay so hate me if you want but I had to have just one more chapter of Edward and Bella alone before they went back to work. Plus you got an update crazy soon! But, just so you know, chapter 11 will find them at work.**

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**New Recs:**

**Love Like Winter – by MandyLeigh87**

**A fun spin on Beauty And The Beast:**

**Once upon a time, in a faraway land, a young prince lived in a shining castle. Although he had everything his heart desired, the prince was spoiled, selfish, and unkind...For who could ever learn to love a beast?**

**My Perfect Mr. Imperfect – by xrxdanixrx (she's my Twilighted beta). **

**I just LOVE this Edward:**

**Bella wanted Mr. Perfect, but he didn't want her. When Mr. Imperfect comes along, can she look close enough to see just who is more perfect for her? A story about falling in love with the imperfections.**

**Rapture – by AydenMorgen**

**Started out a one shot and exploded into pure awesomeness:**

**In the blink of an eye, her ballet career ended. His as a DEA agent is now on the line and lives are at stake, but when they meet on the dance floor, nothing even compares. Can they work together to stop the Volturi or will rapture tear them apart?**


	11. Chapter 11

***comes out from hiding place and waves white flag* **

**Hi my wonderful, bb's! You cannot believe how sorry I am for taking so long to get this chapter written and out for your perusal. I could give you a ton of excuses but I won't. You don't want to hear all my RL crap. SO, without further ado, I give you *waves hand in a grand gesture* Chapter 11.**

**Conferenceward lives up to his 'ward' name. See pic tease here: www . twitpic . com / 33uo02**

~*SIML*~

_He-ey, he-e-ey, he-e-ey. Your lipstick stains, on the front lobe of my left side brains. I knew I wouldn't forget ya and so I went and let you blow my mind._

Confused, I looked around my office to figure out where the music was coming from. My cell phone, perched on the edge of my desk, blinked with Edward's beautiful face. I laughed and rolled my eyes, but I couldn't remove the silly grin that spread across my face. Edward had obviously given himself a special ringtone while I was out of the room at some point during our weekend. I picked up the phone and accepted the call.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Soul Sister, whatcha doing?"

I giggled a little at his silliness. I found it hard to control myself around him, even on the phone apparently. Trying to regain some semblance of a grown woman, I straightened my back and addressed my phone situation.

"When did you give yourself a new ringtone?" I asked with an accusatory tone. I was barely able to keep the laugh inside as I attempted to sound irritated.

I may or may not have sniggered a little.

And Edward may or may not have heard said snigger.

He scoffed in mock frustration. "Well, yeah I changed it. No boyfriend in his right mind would want Katie Perry alerting his girlfriend that he's calling."

I was barely able to contain my giggle. "But it's _Firework_. Get it? You're a firework…_my_ firework?"

"No guy wants a girl song as his ringtone. It's emasculating."

I finally let go of the embarrassing laugh that had been forcing its way out. He chuckled with me until my giggle fit subsided. I understood exactly what he meant, I just thought it was funny that he'd spend the time to dig through my phone and change the song. It was…cute.

"So, what are you doing?"

"Well, I was just thinking about my really hot boyfriend and how much I really would rather be at home...in bed…than here at work," I told him, slightly above a breathy whisper.

"Mmmhhmm. And this really hot boyfriend of yours, does he know how to take extra special care of you?" he asked with his sultry, velvet voice.

"Uh huh, so very much," I breathed.

"Well, I'll tell you what. You let me treat you to lunch and I'll see what I can do to help take your mind off work for a bit. Hmmm?"

Sunday night Edward and I had had a small disagreement as to how I was going to get to work on Monday. He wanted me to stay another night with him and just drive me himself. Ideally it sounded like a terrific idea; we worked for the same company and both had to be there at eight. But Miss Responsible stomped in and reminded me that I had no work clothes with me. And it didn't help that she had been walking around with a really long stick up her ass toward the end of the weekend. She had made it blatantly obvious that she didn't think it was such a good idea. Edward reluctantly agreed to take me home with the promise that we would have lunch together on Monday. I was still feeling a little strange about the fact that we worked together but his soft lips and hard body helped me push it aside, even if just for the weekend.

"Bella?"

Edward's voice brought me back to the present.

"Lunch...right. Where did you want to go?"

"I don't care. We can go wherever you want. Can you leave now?" he asked with a slight pout in his voice.

I looked at the clock on my computer and laughed a little.

"Baby, it's only ten-thirty. Do you think you can wait another hour?" I asked.

_Although leaving _a little_ early and returning _a little_ late wouldn't be that bad, would it? _Miss Carefree chimed from behind her dark rimmed glasses, uncrossing and crossing her legs, Sharon Stone-_Basic Instinct_ style.

Miss Responsible jumped up from behind her desk and roughly threw her hands on her hips. Her face twisted into a bitchy sneer and her breathing was labored. The message came through loud and clear. _Be responsible. You're at work. Do your job, Bella._

"I can wait an hour if you'll meet me in conference room three-o-three in five minutes to stave off my appetite."

My eyes widened and I looked around my office as if someone other than me could have heard his request. The door was closed and I was on my cell phone; there was no way anyone had heard him. I breathed a small sigh of relief.

"Yeah, I'll meet you there, but only for a kiss and then back to work, mister."

Miss Responsible threw herself back down into her chair and crossed her arms over her chest with a huff.

Miss Carefree stuck her tongue out at her and skipped out of the room with a giddy grin. She was wearing sparkling butterfly wings on her back and I had to wonder what she was up to.

"Five minutes, sweet girl. I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too," I answered with a smile before ending the call.

Think!

I had to think fast. I needed to come up with an excuse as to why I would leave my office and not send Jessica to do whatever errand I needed done.

I stepped out of my office and hoped that Jessica was too engrossed in her game of Word Whomp to be too bothered with me.

"Jessica, I left something in my car, I'll be back as quick as I can," I said as I brushed past her desk.

She barely offered a glance and a nod before looking back at her computer screen. I was slightly relieved that she didn't question me or offer to help. Though, thinking about it, I really should have been upset that she didn't at least _attempt_ to help me. I needed to talk to my boss about a new assistant.

I rode the elevator alone to the third floor. It wouldn't be odd that I was on the third floor, just odd that I was on the third floor when there wasn't a meeting scheduled. So just in case, I stole several glances around to make sure no one took undue notice of my presence.

Tucked around a bend in a practically unnoticeable corner of the office was the small conference room. As I reached the door I noticed it was cracked open, so I slipped in quietly – making sure to close it behind me. The room was dark, save for the muted light coming from under the door. My body buzzed with excitement right before strong hands grabbed me around the waist. My breath caught at the same time familiar lips caressed my neck. I sighed in relief knowing it was Edward.

"Mmmm, I've missed you," he whispered, dragging his soft lips down the column of my neck.

"Edward."

"Shhh…" he hushed across my skin.

He reached around and gently tilted my chin to gain better access to my neck. I loved the feel of his lips on me…anywhere. His tongue skimmed across my sensitive skin, making me want much, much more than just the simple kiss I promised. Once he reached my ear for a nibble I turned in his arms.

There was little preamble to our kiss. It started out heated, needy and hard. Fingers shoved into hair, bodies pressed tighter together than humanly possible and breathing was scarce. The room was filled with an urgency and intense desire. It had hardly been twelve hours since we had made love but my desperate need for all things Edward consumed me.

Though his arms were tight around me his hands still roamed; I moaned when one and then the other started to rub my ass. With gentle firmness he pulled me impossibly closer into him - into his thick erection. He was consuming me. I couldn't care less where we were in that moment. He lifted me to rest on the small conference table and moved to stand between my spread legs. My pencil skirt pushed up and bunched at my hips as he pulled me closer against him. Our lips never separated as our hands continued to roam.

It couldn't have been more than 2 minutes before a loud cackling laugh close by snapped me out of my Edward induced haze. He sensed my hesitation and pulled back, but only slightly. His lips continued their assault on my overheated neck and chest as if he hadn't heard the noise at all.

"Edward," I whispered into the dark room.

I was trying to get his attention but I think he thought it was more of an_, Oh Edward, yes Edward,_ kind of "Edward".

It wasn't.

"Hmm?" He moaned in question while his tongue and teeth assaulted the hollow of my neck.

"Edward," I hissed and grabbed his shoulders to capture his attention.

He stopped immediately and snapped out of his little bubble.

"What?" he asked in a slightly whiney tone, much like a little boy who had just been reprimanded.

"We're going to get caught. What if someone needs to come in here?" I anxiously whispered.

He chuckled at my nervousness. "No one's going to come in here. I talked to Beverly and she booked the room for me for the rest of the day. She thinks I'm on an important, all day conference call. Aside from her, I have the only key." He stepped into me again and secured his warm hands around my spread thighs. "We can stay in here all day if we want," he whispered against my lips.

"Mmm, all day?" I asked as my nerves started to subside.

"Mmhmm," he hummed across my lips.

"What would we do cooped up in this tiny room all day long? Hypothetically speaking," I murmured, with a low tone of lust rasping my voice.

I had come to learn that Edward had a way of making me forget anything else around us at times. And this was one of those times.

"Hypothetically?"

"Mmmhmm."

"We could stay in here until it was time to go home. I could take you as mine right here on this conference table and then take you home and do it all over again later, on my bed. Hypothetically, of course."

"Of course," I breathed. "How would it all start, do you think? If we were to - hypothetically – fuck right here on-"

The rest of my words never came. Edward pressed forward so fast I couldn't complete the sentence. And right about now I couldn't care less. The urgency and intensity was back, hotter than before.

He grabbed my waist and pulled me tighter against him. We were pressed together from lips to hips, without a millimeter of space between us. His lips were soft and insistent and his fingers worked themselves down to my skirt to push it further up my hips. I could feel his hardened cock pressed against me, exactly where I needed it. I pulled back just enough to unbutton his shirt and push it over his broad shoulders. My blouse was next and quickly made its way down my arms and onto the top of the table, trapping my hands behind me in the most delicious way. I could hear the clinking of Edward's belt as he released it from its hold. His zipper was next and the noise from it sounded loud in the tiny room.

Miss Responsible chided me for my at-work-antics. I understood where she was coming from but I was too far gone to do anything about it. The only thing on my mind was the task at hand. I needed Edward to fuck me within an inch of my life and I needed him to do it right now.

But we needed to hurry.

His fingers inched under my skirt again and gently rubbed me through my panties. He moaned - at the feel of how wet they were, no doubt. I wanted to help him remove them faster, but my hands were still loosely bound behind me by my blouse. He slowly worked his way up to the hem and toyed with the tiny bows before hooking his fingers under the band.

He was going slow…painfully slow.

"Rip 'em," I whispered.

He stilled and hummed his question in response.

"Rip. Them," I ordered with a little more authority. I wasn't sure where it came from, but I knew that if we didn't speed things along I was going to explode.

He growled and fisted his hand around my panties, shoving his tongue back into my mouth. In one swift move my panties were in shreds and he plunged his heavy cock deep inside me. I had no time to think about what was happening. Edward had gripped his hands tightly behind my knees and drew me even closer to the table's edge. My confined arms flew back to brace me from falling altogether. Using the leverage he gained from his grip on my legs, Edward pounded into me exactly like I had hoped. It was fast, deep and intense.

He hissed quietly through his clenched teeth, "Is this what you…wanted? You wanted me…to fuck you hard, here in this tiny room…where anyone could hear us? Is that…what you…wanted?" he asked as he pounded relentlessly into my core.

I moaned a loud yes in response. He slowed his thrusting but continued to glide into me with ease, pressing against my clit with each slow, deep plunge. He leaned in so close I could feel his breath across my cheek.

"Ah, ah, ah, sweet girl," he whispered against my overheated skin. "If you want me to keep this up, you'll need to quiet down. You don't want us to be interrupted do you?"

"Uuunn, no…no. I'll be quiet. Just…please, baby…faster," I breathed.

"Good girl."

Those were the last words spoken aloud.

Edward worked my body into a frenzy I never knew existed. He alternated between hard, fast thrusts and slow, deep grinding – keeping me so close to the edge I nearly screamed for release. But I knew better. That would put an immediately stop to our little rendezvous.

He leaned in closer to kiss me. I felt his fingers gently massage my clit as our movements became more synchronized.

He wanted me to cum.

_I_ wanted to cum.

Badly.

I felt the pressure that had been building so high, release and wash over me in sweet relief. His lips and probing tongue kept me quiet as he worked me through my orgasm. He slowed his thrusting and moved his fingers – wrapping them around my thighs once again.

Edward pulled me from the table and walked a short distance before sitting. I felt cool leather beneath my bent knees and knew exactly where we were. Placing my hands on the arms of the large conference chair, I used them as leverage to slip up and down along his steel hard erection. He placed a steady hand across my back as the other moved to help guide my hips.

Hot lips attached to my sensitive nipple and almost caused me to cry out in ecstasy. My second orgasm rushed through me with no warning, making me gasp in surprise. Strong fingers wrapped around my hair, forcing our lips together quickly. I whimpered as our breaths became one. Edward's thrusts became erratic and his hold of my hair bordered that fine line between pain and pleasure. His tongue became insistent just before I felt his dick pulse his orgasm deep within me.

We both slowed to a stop and he wrapped his arms tight around my waist – my head pressed into his shoulder. Our breathing was heavy and our hearts thrummed against our chests. I openly kissed his neck as his mouth opened against my collar bone. He was tasting me, as I was him.

His fast breaths were warm across my chest. "I love you, beautiful." He punctuated his words with a lingering kiss on the swell of my breast.

I fingered the damp hair at the nape of his neck. "I love you too, baby."

We squeezed one another tight before loosening our hold to get ourselves up and back in order. He helped me from his lap and held a steady hand on my hip until I was able to stand on my own.

In our rush to connect we had both only partially undressed, which made it easier to get dressed and attempt to make myself look presentable. I smoothed down my skirt, buttoned my blouse and ran my fingers through my hair in an attempt to tame it.

After redressing, Edward turned on the harsh florescent lights to find my now useless panties. He stood in front of me with a sheepish look on his face. Looking down I saw the shredded lace dangling from his fingers and cringed. They were one of the pairs I bought in Chicago…one of my favorite pairs. As always, I got so caught up in the moment with Edward I didn't think twice about them being pretty and expensive – I thought of them as an obstacle that needed to be eliminated in the fastest possible way.

"Ummm…sorry?"

The look on his face was too cute to not laugh out loud at. I doubled over and had to cover my mouth with both hands to keep from being too loud.

"What?" he asked with a big smile on his face.

"You. You had the cutest look on your face."

"Well, I feel bad. Your panties are ruined and it's my fault." He paused for a split second before continuing. "But I guess there's one good thing to come from it." He approached me slowly but kept his eyes on mine. "I happen to be the only one in this entire building who knows – without a shadow of a doubt," he leaned in close and whispered against my ear, "that you're not wearing panties under that tight little skirt of yours."

I shivered from his sultry voice and felt like I might want to stay in that room for a little while longer. He kissed under my ear and stepped back, tucking my destroyed panties into his jacket pocket, patting it for posterity.

~*SIML*~

I stepped back onto the third floor elevator, alone, and something didn't feel right. A cold chill ran down my spine and I shuddered.

After I stepped out of the elevator I rushed toward my office. I couldn't shake the strange feeling. It felt like someone was watching me, but I was probably just being paranoid. I had just had sex – amazing sex - with Edward.

On a conference table.

At work.

Miss Responsible was so pissed she was nowhere in sight. Miss Carefree was fucking floating around with her butterfly wings giggling like she knew that shit was going to happen all along.

"Did you find what you were looking for?" Jessica's voice pulled me from my internalizing. I racked my brain to come up with an answer.

"Huh? Oh…um…yeah, no I guess I left it at home," I answered vaguely.

I started back to my office and was almost out of the line of fire before she started again.

"Is it something I can get for you?" she asked.

I cringed. _Now_ she was trying to be helpful. All I was trying to do was sneak back into my office so no one would notice how long I had been gone.

Forty-six minutes.

I had been gone for forty-six minutes.

"Um, no thank you, Jessica. I can just wait until I get home," I answered, hoping she didn't ask me what I was searching for in the first place. I wasn't that good a liar.

"Well, if it's your lunch or something I can get you a bite while I'm out."

Lunch?

Lunch!

That was it. Lunch.

I decided to do my best impression of an actress, hoping that Jessica's inept ability to be a good assistant extended to her sleuth skills.

"Lunch is exactly what I left at home, Jessica, yes. If you would pick something up for me, that would be great. Nothing big, really. Maybe just a drink and piece of pie? I don't want to put you out. And now that I think about it, I'm not all that hungry."

I darted my eyes around her form and over her shoulder. I still couldn't shake that creepy feeling, but nothing stood out.

She nodded her head like a bobble-head doll. "Okay, I can do that," she exclaimed.

"Thank you, Jessica," I said as I turned and tried - for a second time - to slink back into my office.

"What kind?"

Grrr… I was almost there.

I closed my eyes and they rolled into the back of my head – involuntarily, of course. I couldn't believe she decided to pick now to start trying to be a good assistant. I put the best smile I could muster on my face and turned to address her once again.

"What kind of what?" I asked sweetly.

"What kind of pie?" she chirped.

It took all I had not to let out a huge, exasperated sigh. "Apple would be perfect. Thank you."

I turned again and just about had my door closed before I heard her again.

"And to drink? What do you want to drink?" she asked in an excited voice.

I mashed my lips together to keep from blurting something alone the lines of, "I don't give two shits what you bring back, so long as you leave me the fuck alone and let me go back into my damn office in peace." But instead I put a smile on my face – once again – and turned to answer her. "Anything with caffeine will be fine, thanks so much, Jessica."

I closed the door before she could ask any more questions or respond in any way. I engaged the lock for good measure.

~*SIML*~

There was still no peep from Jessica when noon rolled around. I was really glad that I hadn't depended on her to get my lunch.

_**Lunch? Please? I miss you! ~E**_

He was incorrigible. It had been slightly less than an hour since I left him in the conference room, grinning like the Cheshire Cat.

_But he did!_ Miss Carefree responded from the ceiling, still floating around like she was filled with helium.

I rolled my eyes through a smile but knew I couldn't ignore him…ever.

_**Lunch sounds good. Meet you at the elevator in five? ~B**_

It only took a few seconds before he responded.

_**Counting it down, beautiful 3 ~E**_

I smiled at his sweet nature. I don't think I would ever get used to being treated so incredibly. Edward was - hands down – the best boyfriend I had ever had. He was sweet, attentive, a gentleman and unintentionally sexy. He didn't _try_ to be any of those things, he just was.

I closed all the open programs on my computer and gathered my phone and purse. I unlocked and opened the door to my office to see the floor half empty. It looked like several of the temps and assistants had taken their lunch at the same time.

Another chill ran down my spine as I stepped out to lock the door behind me. I did another quick glance around the floor and locked onto a pair of hateful eyes. James glared at me for an instant before a noise to his right broke the contact. I shivered a little before steeling myself – my back ramrod straight – and headed toward the elevator to meet Edward for lunch.

~*SIML*~

**A super special "Thank You" goes out to my tried and true beta Heather (aka: batgirl8968) for sticking with me through some hard but necessary changes.**

**And a special "Welcome to the Fold" goes out to my newest beta FicObsessed. I feel like this is a great match and that the three of us will be amazing together!**

**Thank you BOTH for all your help and hard work!**

**Reviews are better than a half eaten box of Valentines candy! (You know what I'm talking about. You leave the pieces you hate; hoping someone else will like them. You know you do it.)**

**Please review…I'm not begging…well, maybe a little.**


	12. Chapter 12

**AN:  
*Comes out from hiding***

SO! If you keep up with me AT ALL on Twitter, you know I'm dealing with some crappy writers block. I'm working on it though. This is a short chapter but it's here! Please don't be upset with me for taking so long. YOU CAN'T, it's my birthday! *whispers* Yes I share a birthday with Rob :)

**Disclaimer:  
I don't own em, I just play with them *wags eyebrows***

**Warning:  
If you don't know by now...**

~*SIML*~

EPOV

Over the next few weeks, Bella seemed to be more relaxed with our growing relationship. She was adamant, though, that we maintain a professional rapport while at work. I understood, mostly, but it felt like there was more to it. I just couldn't put my finger on it and she never mentioned it.

Although she was tentative, I finally got her to agree to carpool with me. I mean, really, we were doing our planet a favor by reducing our carbon footprint. _And_ maybe it had a little bit to do with the fact that it meant more time with Bella. Sooner or later I would convince her to stay over during the week.

"Oww." I rubbed my arm and scowled at Emmett, who had abruptly pulled me from my get-Bella-to-sleep-over-more planning with a fist to my bicep. "What the hell was that for?"

"I asked you a question, fucker," he griped before taking a pull from his beer.

"Well, you didn't have to punch me, asshole," I replied.

"You were lost in your head again, man. I even waved my hand in front of your face," he replied, rolling his eyes.

"Well, what the fuck do you want?"

"The game's over," he said, pointing his beer bottle toward the television.

I looked at him, and widened my eyes as if to ask, "and", adding a hand gesture in the mix to get my point across. He rolled his eyes again.

"Nothing, man. I think I'm gonna head out," he said, tilting his head toward the door.

It was Monday night and Emmett had come over to watch the game with me. I had obviously missed the end of the game.

"Yeah, all right, man. Thanks for the pizza."

"Yep," was his only response as he closed the door behind him.

My head was still full of thoughts of Bella. How sweet she was. How much I loved her. All the dirty things we did together…_all the dirty, dirty things_. My mind wouldn't shut off. I pictured every position we'd tried, every place we'd fucked – _the conference room being my favorite_.

_Great! Now I'm hard._

I went to bed and tried to turn off my brain. I even jacked off a few times to calm my cock in to submission so I could get some sleep.

I eventually fell into a restless sleep with a serious case of Bella on the brain.

~*SIML*~

The next morning I picked Bella up from her place with her favorite caramel mocha coffee in hand. I always made an extra stop at the coffee shop before I headed to her place. She would always complain because she thought it was unnecessary for me to go out of my way to get it. She said it defeated the purpose of riding together and saving gas when I backtracked to get the coffee.

_Cue eye roll._

I was her boyfriend and I did whatever I wanted to do. Even if that meant driving ten blocks out of the way before picking her up for work. I wanted to love her and make her happy. If getting her favorite coffee made her happy, that's what I'd do. _And_ it may have had a little bit to do with the fact that I was trying to butter her up for a weeknight sleep over. Can you blame a guy?

"Good morning, beautiful."

She blushed and murmured a quiet "good morning". I loved her tendency to blush at just about anything. She offered her cheek for a good morning peck when I tried to reach for her lips – like I always did. She hated to have her sticky lip gloss kissed off so early in the morning. But I loved the strawberry flavor and tried, every morning, to get a taste. It just happened to be an added bonus to kissing her deliciously soft lips.

~*SIML*~

By mid morning I had finished my to-do list, caught up on emails and was basically waiting for lunch. Bella had been keeping to her office more than usual so when I spied her speed walking toward the copy room I decided to catch up to her. She looked over her shoulder twice but didn't notice me. I wasn't sure what she was actually looking for.

I stepped into the doorway and simply watched as she made copies of some type of report. I briefly wondered why she hadn't sent Jessica to do it but she had already told me what great help she was. We were sure she was screwing the boss – or at least knew who was - because there was no way she would still be employed solely on her work performance.

Bella obviously hadn't heard me step into the room because she continued to diligently copy, collate and staple the paperwork before her. The way her hips swayed back and forth as she worked made me think of how much _I_ loved making her hips sway.

I snuck up as close as I could, grabbed her hips – pressing myself tight against her ass - and growled into her ear, "You make me so hard. I want to take you right here against this machine." She screamed and stilled under my touch. Reflexively I let go of her hips and took a few steps back.

_That was not the reaction I had been hoping for._

She turned toward me with wide eyes and her hand over her heart. I'm sure my expression was exactly the same because she immediately ran into my arms and melted into my embrace. I held her close and quickly realized she was crying. I soothingly smoothed down her hair and pressed her tighter against my chest.

"I'm sorry, sweet girl. I didn't mean to scare you. I'm sorry."

I didn't know what to say. This had never happened between us before. We were always horny and playful. I didn't think she would react the way she did.

She mumbled something unintelligible against my chest.

"Hmm?"

She tilted her head up so I could hear her but refused to let me go.

She sniffled and started again. "No, I'm sorry. I thought I was alone and you just scared me. That's all. I'm sorry I reacted that way. I thought you were-" she stopped.

"What? Thought I was what?"

"Nothing. Never mind."

"Tell me, Bella. It can't be nothing."

She pressed her face back into my chest and shook her head. I leaned back and tilted her chin gently with my thumb and forefinger. Her eyes were screwed shut as if to block something out, her head still shaking back and forth. I kissed the tears away and waited patiently for her to answer. Whatever it was, whatever caused her to react like that wasn't "nothing" and I wasn't going to accept that. I waited for her to calm down but refused to let the subject drop.

Her breaths slowed back down to normal and she opened her eyes to meet mine. She looked frightened but I knew better than to think it was because of me.

"Bella? Talk to me, please. I want to help you figure this out."

She closed her eyes once more, took a deep, shuddering breath and stilled herself. When her eyes opened she seemed more determined.

"Lunch. Let's go to lunch and we'll talk. We can't talk about it here. Someone might hear us."

Confused I simply nodded and pulled her tight against my chest. She quietly sighed and melted against me once again. My fingers snaked through her thick hair and I pressed my lips at the top of her head.

"All right, let's go get some lunch and talk."

~*SIML*~

Though she seemed to loosen up once we left the office, I could tell something wasn't right. Whatever it was was seriously getting to her and I needed going to get to the bottom of it.

We sat on the same side of the booth as we ordered simple BLT's and fries for lunch.

She commented on the restaurant's broad menu, trying to make small talk. When I didn't respond she looked up into my eyes. I knew she saw the quiet determination in them. With a little sigh she shifted sideways and grabbed my hand.

"It's probably not as big a deal as I'm making it." She shook her head as if _she_ didn't even believe the words.

I remained quiet and waited for her to get to the point. My girl was scared enough to scream when I snuck up on her, so it _was _a big deal.

She closed her eyes, took in a deep breath and released it with a sigh. When she opened her beautiful brown eyes to me I saw fear.

I leaned down and kissed her forehead, quietly encouraging her to talk to me.

"It's James," she whispered. It came out so quietly I wasn't quite sure if I heard her correctly.

My brow furrowed and she nodded minutely.

"James? What about him?"

_I knew he was a womanizing asshole but what did-_ I stopped that train of thought and widened my eyes in understanding. He'd done something to Bella. My Bella.

She opened her mouth to respond but quickly snapped it shut. She could see something brewing my eyes. I blankly stared past Bella as my nostrils flared and jaw tensed. I wanted to kill him and I didn't even know why yet. I knew that, whatever had happened, was going to cause me to kick his ass.

~*SIML*~

Reviews are better than finding a twenty dollar bill in the pocket of your favorite jeans. Please don't make me beg for reviews. *whimpers* Please.

*looks around* Do you feel guilty enough now? LOL!

~*SIML*~

**MUCH LOVE to my two amazing beta's who – surprisingly enough – haven't given up on me!batgirl8968 & FicObsessed**

**Follow me on Twitter: ImHereToReview**

**My Story Recs:**

***The Peep Hole Chronicles  
MandyLeigh87 & I are hosting a collaboration that has turned out to be so fun!  
**_**Three boys. Three girls. Two peepholes. One big mis adventure. A Round Robin Collaboration. All human. Rated M.**_

***The Roommate  
by MandyLeigh87  
I pre-read this story for Mandy and loved it from the start! This Edward (Beanbagward) is just too much.  
**_**I needed a roommate. What I got was one heck of a problem. AH BxE Rated M**_

***From The Cup Of Duty  
by LadyExcalibur2010  
LOVING this period piece!  
**_**Edward is a ruler in need of an heir. Isabella Swan comes from fruitful stock. A marriage made in heaven, right? Well...not quite yet. Sometimes duty brings an unexpected gift. Rated M for future lemons.**_

***This Is My Wish  
by ericastwilight  
This is a bitter sweet story ladies and gentlemen (if you guys are actually reading this). So heartbreakingly sweet. Just go read it!  
**_**Dear Wishes for You, My name is Riley Biers and I'm nine years old. Soon, very soon I'll leave behind my momma because I have terminal cancer. I write to you today and this is my wish... Rated M for language**_


	13. Chapter 13

**AN: LOOKIE, LOOKIE what the cat dragged in! It's another chapter and in LESS than a month's time! Woohoo! Thanks to everyone who reads and reviews. Your sweet, funny, bitchy, encouraging words helped me through my crappy writers block!**

**Quick Special Thanks to roxiegirl who reviewed and suggested I do a little recap from the last chapter. I used to but got out of the habit. I hope it helps you all. If it does you can thank her – if it doesn't, well, whatever.**

**More AN at the end…and that's a warning, not a threat!**

**Disclaimer: Characters aren't mine. We all KNOW they're not mine. Why would I bother pretending they're mine? I'm not…they're not mine. Got that?**

~*SIML*~

_Chapter 12 (EPOV)_

"_It's James," she whispered. It came out so quietly I wasn't quite sure if I heard her correctly._

_My brow furrowed and she nodded minutely._

"_James? What about him?"_

_I knew he was a womanizing asshole but what did- I stopped that train of thought and widened my eyes in understanding. He'd done something to Bella. My Bella._

_She opened her mouth to respond but quickly snapped it shut. She could see something brewing my eyes. I blankly stared past Bella as my nostrils flared and jaw tensed. I wanted to kill him and I didn't even know why yet. I knew that, whatever had happened, was going to cause me to kick his ass._

~*SIML*~

BPOV

"Edward, you're hurting my hand," I whimpered, giving him what I'm sure was a pained look.

In his burgeoning anger he had unintentionally given my hand a death grip. He released it immediately and rubbed it gently.

"I'm sorry, sweet girl." He wrapped his arms around me and pulled me close. I snuggled into his chest and breathed in the delicious scent of Edward savoring the faint scent of cologne. I always felt safe in his arms.

He kissed the top of my head and pulled back enough to give me a sweet kiss on the lips. "What happened with James, Bella? Did he hurt you? What's going on?" His voice rose slightly as his panic seemed to grow.

Miss Responsible whipped off her glasses and gave me the meanest glare I had ever seen in my life. She was pissed that I had kept James' harassment to myself. That look meant it was time to tell Edward about James and his antics.

Truth be told, I just wanted the whole thing to stop. I wanted him to leave me alone and if keeping Edward at arm's length while at work did anything to make it better – and keep our jobs – I was willing to do it.

Edward's expression left no question in my mind. He was upset and quite possibly afraid of what I might tell him. But he had every right to know. It was stupid of me to keep it from him for so long.

I took another cleansing breath and laid it all out for him.

"A few weeks ago, you know, when we…umm… at work…" I hesitated because – even though the sex was beyond fantastic – I still felt a little shy about having done that at work.

The slightest grin quirked onto Edward's face and his pupils dilated slightly. He merely nodded and lovingly rubbed his thumb over the top of my hand. I took his non-verbal acknowledgment and continued.

"Well, afterward, I went back up to my office but I felt like something was…off. Almost like I was being followed. I don't know. It sounds weird when I say it out loud." I shook my head and rolled my eyes. "Anyway, Jessica was acting weird when I got back to my office – asking me if I wanted her to get me something for lunch. Edward, she never asks if I want anything. She usually leaves without even _saying_ anything. So she left and I locked myself in my office. A little while later there was a knock at my door and I thought it was Jessica back with my drink. But when I opened the door James was standing there. He told me he was headed out for lunch and wanted to know if I would join him. I thanked him but told him I already had plans." I shuddered a little at the memory of James so close to me. "He leaned in close and I wanted to lean away because he smelled like he'd overused his cologne that morning or something. Anyway, he leaned in and whispered that he knew where I had gone and that if I knew what was good for me I'd just come along. I acted like I didn't know what he was talking about and Jessica had come back by then. After seeing her, he waved me off and said something about making it up on another day."

Edward's eyes looked calm but I knew differently. The muscle in his jaw had started working overtime right about the time I told him James had basically demanded I go to lunch with him. I gave his hand a gentle squeeze, took another breath and continued with my story.

I told him about James asking me out every day and how creepy he'd been acting. Every time I'd leave my office, he'd be close. He'd be in the break room when I stopped by to get a snack or in the copy room when Jessica was too "busy" to make copies for me. At every turn, he was there. He was relentless in his pursuit of me and continued to get more pissed every time I'd decline his invitation.

As much as I knew Edward would to be pissed, I had to tell him everything. I didn't want to keep secrets from him and I certainly didn't want to give him a reason to not trust me. Our relationship had been doing extremely well and I didn't want anything or anyone to come between us. I loved him and I knew he loved me. I would tell him everything that had upset me and we would work through it together.

I paused briefly to take a drink and nibble on my fries before continuing with the more…disturbing part of the story.

"I was in my office and needed Jessica to make copies for the Wilson Expo presentation that I'd been working on." I looked up at Edward to get his confirmation. "You remember, I had a meeting with the executives to go over their new ads before the next trade show." He smiled and nodded, not interrupting but acknowledging. His expression turned pensive as I continued. "I buzzed Jessica and she didn't answer. I was so frustrated with her not being any help, I decided to get up and do it myself. I knew it would be done right the first time anyway, so whatever. Anyway, I went to the copy room and started spreading everything out and concentrating on what I was doing. I didn't hear or see James until he was right behind me. He put his hands on my hips and pressed himself against my back."

My voice had slowly started to become smaller and smaller as I recalled the incident to Edward. I could tell he was getting pissed because his breathing had sped up and his nostrils flared.

"He leaned in close, whispered nasty things into my ear and pressed his…his-" I closed my eyes and tried to push the memory out without breaking down. "He pushed his erection into my back and told me he wanted to fuck me against the copier and wanted…wanted you to walk in so he could show you what my face should look like while I was being fucked."

I couldn't contain him even if I had tried. Edward was out of the booth, growling and pacing like a caged animal. He fingers fisted into his hair and the color of his face could only be explained as crimson. If I were ever on the receiving end of that look, I would probably die merely from the expression.

"Is that it?" he questioned.

I was confused at his question. What did he mean by, _is that it?_ My brows pulled together as I tried to figure out what exactly he was asking. Before I could open my mouth to ask him, he clarified for me.

"Has he done anything else? Has there been more?"

Then I understood him. I nodded my head and lowered my eyes to the table.

James knew – at least he acted like he knew - about Edward and mine's conference room romp and made it clear that he could end my career, or worse…Edward's. I figured his behavior was just something I'd let slide, like don't-ask-don't-tell kind of thing. If I let him act like a jerk he'd leave our jobs alone. But James had progressively gotten more aggressive and forward. Edward finally knew the truth and I knew it was time to talk to our boss and let him know too. James had gone way past sexual harassment and was bordering on stalking.

Edward dug into his back pocket to retrieve his wallet, threw thirty dollars down on the table – much more than what was probably necessary for our small meal – and shoved his wallet back into place.

"Come on." He tried to say it sweetly but since it was coming from between his teeth it sounded nothing short of a demand. He extended his hand out to me, wordlessly asking me to take it. He helped me out of the booth and led me to the front door. I knew he wasn't angry with me but I couldn't help feeling like a child who was about to be scolded.

I knew where we were going; it was blatantly obvious Edward was not going to be contained. It was part of the reason I kept it from him for the last week and a half.

The drive back to the office was silent. Edward was still fuming. I assumed we were on our way to Aro's office.

Before I knew it we were in the parking garage and my door was being opened. Edward helped me from the car but we didn't move any further. He wrapped his strong arms around me and held me tight against his chest.

"Bella, beautiful, I wish you had told me when it happened. I don't want you to have to deal with these kinds of things on your own." He leaned back and grasped my shoulders. Looking straight into my eyes, his words melted my heart. "We're in this together. I'll always be there to catch you. Talk to me when something is bothering you. Please."

He kissed me sweetly before grasping my hand and leading me back to the office. In the elevator he explained the plan. We were headed to Aro's office to tell him of James' harassment and then going to HR to file a formal complaint. It all sounded so easy.

Miss Responsible was finally seeing Edward for who he really was and gave me a slight grin. Miss Carefree simply shifted through her more slutty lingerie, looking for something to wear to properly thank Edward and his heroic deed.

~*SIML*~

When the elevator doors slid open everything happened so fast I could barely keep up. We'd stepped out of the elevator and were greeted by none other than James Loden. He looked at Edward and me and then glanced at our joined hands. Edward's grasp was cutting off my circulation. James sneered one of his more nasty comments and Edward barreled into him.

I'd like to think that things would have gone differently had James not been standing there and Edward not have _just_ been told of James' harassment toward me. But things weren't different. James was his smart-ass, nasty self and Edward was my protective boyfriend who beat the ever loving shit out of him.

Miss Carefree jumped around in a skimpy ring-girl costume with boxing gloves bouncing around her neck. She thought Edward looked hot fighting for my honor.

Truth be told he really, _really_ did look sexy. But there was a time and place for those thoughts and it wasn't then. Curse words and blood were flying. A few guys around the office intervened and fought to get Edward off James.

James looked like shit but still managed to laugh as Aro came out of his office to see what the hell was going on. Edward barely had a mark on him.

The real problem? No one but Edward, James and I knew why it had happened. From every other point of view, it appeared that Edward attacked James for no apparent reason.

Aro called an emergency meeting in his office with Edward, James and HR. Edward protested and demanded that I be present. But Aro was hearing none of that. All he knew was that Edward attacked James and he didn't want a lawsuit.

Angela was the one to break me from my stupor. "Bella? Bella, come on. Come into my office and calm down. Edward will be out in a few minutes and then you can go to him. Come on."

She coaxed me into her office and handed me a Dr. Pepper. I was grateful for the sugar. I felt lightheaded. My heart was still pounding in my chest and the sound of a pin drop could probably have scared me.

I could hear shouting coming from behind Aro's closed doors and I knew it wasn't going well.

They stayed in the meeting for forty-five minutes, but it felt like forever.

Edward was the first to emerge. Once the door opened I knew. The expression on his face said it all.

I excused myself from Angela's office and ran to him. He accepted my embrace immediately and held me as if it were the last time we were going to see each other. He mumbled something against my head but didn't say anything loud enough for me to hear it.

James walked out next, smirking. I could tell he'd lied like he always did and bull shitted his way into Aro's heart. He got on the elevators and left.

Kate from HR stepped out of the office with Aro shortly behind her. Edward released me but kept me tucked under his arm.

Aro came and stood before us.

"Edward, James is formally pressing charges. I expect your office to be cleared by the end of business today."

~*SIML*~

**ANOTHER AN:**

**SUPER special thank you to MandyLeigh87! She sped-read through this story and offered suggestions to break through my writers blocked brain. I'm back on track and the outline is complete. I hope you all enjoy the rest of the story. I'm estimating 15-16 chapters total.**

**MUCH love to my two wonder-betas batgirl8968 & FicObsessed. Without them you would never want to read my over-comma'd, under apostrophe'd work! AND you'd have to read words like over-comma'd and under apostrophe'd like they were real words.**

**RECS:**

***Offside**

**by Savage7289**

**If you've never ready any of her work, do yourself a favor and start from the bottom of her list and work your way up. She's an amazing writer! **

_**Edward's the star keeper for the Forks High School soccer team, and is already being scouted by leagues overseas. Bella's just moved from Phoenix and interferes with his…focus. Soccerward lives! Rated M for the good stuff, of course.**_

***Somewhere Only We Know**

**by suzie55**

**LOVE all of Suzie's work! This is a new one and right now I wanna kiss AND smack Edward.**

_**It was best to keep her at a distance. Best for her it seemed until tonight. How do you start over with the one you hurt the most? B x E AH Love, Angst, Lemons... the usual suspects.**_

***Dead On My Feet**

**by Cesca Marie**

**It's complete and I'm not finished with it just yet. It will make you laugh, cry, sob, giggle, swoon…you name it. BUT I'm just warning you, I'm not finished with it just yet – so I can't be held responsible if you don't love it, as I have no clue as to how it ends yet. But I'm loving it so far.**

_**Recovering from a serious illness, Edward knows what it is to be invisible but obvious to everyone around him. Bella, who has watched a loved one die of protracted illness, understands the tightrope-act of life in an unpredictable body. Alienated by his disease, Edward finds a friend in Forks' newest resident. The only problem is that she sees far more than anyone else does – including the things he doesn't want seen.**_


	14. Chapter 14

**Hello, my lovlies! Sooo... I'm on vacation AND I'm posting another chapter. Thank goodness for technology, right? I hope you all like this chapter. I know they seem shorter and shorter (cuz they are) but they are not any less awesome - if I do say so myself. LOL! Anywho, read and tell me what you think. **

~*SIML*~

_Chapter 13 Recap (BPOV)_

_Edward was the first to emerge. Once the door opened I knew. The expression on his face said it all._

_I excused myself from Angela's office and ran to him. He accepted my embrace immediately and held me as if it were the last time we were going to see each other. He mumbled something against my head but didn't say anything loud enough for me to hear it._

_James walked out next, smirking. I could tell he'd lied like he always did and bull shitted his way into Aro's heart. He got on the elevators and left._

_Kate from HR stepped out of the office with Aro shortly behind her. Edward released me but kept me tucked under his arm._

_Aro came and stood before us._

"_Edward, James is formally pressing charges. I expect your office to be cleared by the end of business today."_

~*SIML*~

EPOV

Being fired wasn't top on my to-do list but it seemed I was able to accomplish it none-the-less. But I had to say, kicking the shit out of James was the highlight of that day.

James eventually dropped the charges against me for kicking his ass. It seemed he only wanted me out of the way. He knew about mine and Bella's relationship. It was a game to him; scaring her, harassing her, taunting me. He knew what he was doing and we fell right into his hands. But the one thing he didn't really think through was that Bella would finally get the nerve to talk to HR and Aro herself. My girl was brave. She told them about his blatant sexual harassment, the nasty comments and down right appalling behavior. Rumors spread like wildfire around the office and several other women, and even one guy, came forward to report James as well. His game came to an end…fast.

Bella was finally comfortable going to work. With James gone I could breath easier about not being there with her.

But being home instead of out working left my day wide open. I talked to several other agencies in the Seattle area that would hire me on the spot but I wasn't sure that that's what I wanted to do. My ultimate goal was always to run my own agency. I had a clean slate in front of me. It made it a little easier to finally start to consider my Uncle Eleazar's never ending request to take over his agency. He knew I could do it. I knew I could do it. But the problem was, was I ready to move back to Chicago? Bella and I had only been together for a few months. Would she move with me? And if not…could I leave her?

Probably not.

Question after question kept popping into my head but they were never easily answered. If I stayed in Seattle I'd find another medium executive job that paid the bills but wasn't letting me live up to my potential. If I left, I ran the risk of losing Bella.

Seattle was only supposed to be a pit stop for me anyway. I had always intended to help my uncle but needed to find my own way first. But he wasn't getting any younger and really needed me. Being fired was the opening I would have used to move on to bigger and better things. But because I had Bella in my life, I wasn't sure what to do anymore.

"I don't care, beautiful. But I'd rather stay in tonight, just you and me."

Bella was on her lunch break and had called to confirm our dinner plans. Since being fired I hadn't done much except fret over the decisions I really needed to make. Dinner was the least of my worries. I really needed to talk to Bella and having that conversation in a crowded restaurant probably wasn't a good idea.

"Okay. I can cook," she replied.

"How about I cook for you for a change?"

"You're going to cook?" I could hear the amusement in her voice.

"I can cook," I said feigning hurt. "How do you think I survived before you, huh?"

She giggled. "Frozen pizza?"

"That hurts, Bella, truly."

"Hey! I'm just joking. I'm sure you can cook, baby. We'll have dinner at your place. And you're going to cook. And it will be delicious." She still sounded skeptical.

I just shook my head and chuckled.

"Do you want me to bring anything?" she asked.

"Yeah, a pizza cutter. I broke mine."

She exploded in laughter. I loved her laugh.

~*SIML*~

"That was really great, Edward. I'm sorry I doubted your mad cooking skills."

I looked up at her playful smile and attempted to mirror it. I don't think I did that great a job because her face instantly fell.

"Is everything all right, baby? You've been…quiet." She tucked the corner of her lower lip in between her teeth - a sure sign that she was nervous. "I was only joking about you not being able to cook."

I gave her a genuine smile and reached across the table to caress her blushing cheek. "You're fine. It's…it's not about dinner. But I need to talk to you about something and I need you to keep an open mind."

She dropped her gaze to her lap causing my hand to slip away. She twisted her napkin tightly…so tight that she tore it into tiny pieces.

"Okay," she whispered.

I verbally approached her as if she were a tiny bird about flee. "I have an amazing opportunity to take over my uncle's agency. I would be under him for six months before I took over all together." She looked up at me with a furrow in her brow. I continued. "He's ready to retire and wants me to take his place." I paused, holding my breath, not really wanting to even have the conversation. "The job is in Chicago."

Her eyes dropped again, along with her entire posture.

"Bella, look at me please." She didn't. "Please hear me out."

She jumped up and started clearing the table and putting dinner away. I could hear her sniffle every now and again. She knew I was watching her but refused to meet my eyes. I sighed and got up to help her. Once the table was clear, she started doing the dishes…by hand. Her back was to me and her hands deep in the bubbly water when I approached her and wrapped my arms around her waist. She dropped the plates she was scrubbing and let out a quiet sob.

I leaned in and spoke softly below her ear. "I don't want to make this decision without you, Bella. You are so important to me. I can't lose you over this. This decision is for the both of us to make."

She turned in my arms and tucked herself into me, wet hands and all. Her forehead pressed against my chest as she quietly cried.

"I'm not doing this without you, sweet girl," I soothed while rubbing circles in her back.

She untucked herself and looked into my eyes, her palms lightly resting on my chest. Her beautiful brown eyes were rimmed in red and still glistened from her tears.

"I'm not doing this without you. This is our decision to make together," I said in a reassuring tone. "Come on." I turned and kept her tight against my side while guiding her to my bedroom. I silently undressed from my day and stepped into my pajama pants. Bella remained silent, only watching with a distant look in her eyes. It hadn't escaped my notice that she hadn't spoken a word since I started the conversation.

I slowly walked to her before undressing her as well. She stood silently, allowing me to change her into the matching shirt to my pants. It wasn't sexual by any means. I was showing her that I would always think of her…care for her. I turned down the blankets and we slid into bed, quickly wrapping around one another. I held her tight against my chest.

We quietly lay wrapped in each others embrace for a while before I decide we really need to talk.

"Bella, I know-" Her fingers met my lips to quiet my words.

I looked down at her as she propped herself up around me, caging me. Her chin rested against her folded fingers while her teeth grasped her lip – a tell tale sign on her nerves.

In a hushed voice she finally spoke. "Edward, I'm sorry I freaked out. It's just…I wasn't expecting that, you know. I love you and…well, I was thinking selfishly."

"Bella, I underst-"

"I mean, of course your uncle needs you," she interrupted. "It's a great business opportunity, to take over for him. You'll be perfect and everyone will love you."

"Right, it's just-" I tried to interject before getting cut off again.

"What will you do with this great apartment?" she asked while looking around, as if inspecting the room. "People kill to have such a great view of the city. I mean, not that it's better than the Chicago skyline, it's just-"

"Bella!"

Her teary eyes met mine, shock registering through the sorrow.

"Yeah?" she squeaked quietly.

"I want you to come with me."

Her eyes widened before a tear escaped. I think I shocked her back into quiet mode.

I leaned in and kissed the tear from her cheek. "I want you to come with me, beautiful. I think you will love Chicago and I really don't want to do this without you. My uncle Eleazer will love you. I'm sure he'd be thrilled to have the two of us."

"Edward, I don't know what-"

"Don't. Don't say anything yet. Just think about it, okay."

She nodded.

"You've got all the time in the world. My uncle hasn't given me a deadline. I've got…_we've_ got time to think it over and let him know. Just think about it."

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Let's get some sleep. I love you, sweet girl."

"I love you too, Edward."

~*SIML*~

BPOV

Chicago? _Move_ to Chicago? With Edward? My mind was reeling.

Miss Carefree was already packed and was sitting on her suitcase by the door. She filed her nails and blew big, pink bubbles with her bubblegum. She was ready, willing and able.

Miss Responsible was studiously ignoring Carefree Bella all while making a list of reasons why moving away from Seattle was not in our best interest. Did I mention the list was in alphabetical order?

Her list penetrated my mind and wouldn't leave.

*Apartment. I loved my tiny apartment. It was the first place I moved out on my own, after college.

"_We've outgrown the apartment. It's too small and smells like fish every Thursday because Miss Chang always cooks flounder on Thursdays," _countered Miss Carefree.

That was very much true. She always managed to make our entire complex reek of fish…every Thursday.

*Family. They all lived in Washington. Granted they lived almost four hours away but we lived in the same state at least.

"_Just about the same amount of time if you flew from Chicago to Washington."_

Also true.

*Friends. All my friends lived in Washington too.

"_You can always make new friends."_

I would miss Alice and Rosalie, no doubt. But since they'd met Jasper and Emmett, I could at least feel like they were busy making their own lives.

*Job. I had a secure job. I had worked for Aro from the time I graduated college.

"_A job with Edward is as good as yours, if you'd just get off your ass and go."_

True, but did I want to ride in on his coat tails or earn my own name?

I was tired but couldn't sleep. My two personalities were warring over my future. They both had valid points and neither would relent.

Most of all, I was scared. As much as I wanted to be the Carefree Bella of one of my alter egos, I was much too much like Responsible Bella. I always played things safe. Thinking back, the only time I stepped out of my box was when Edward and I roomed together back in Chicago. Even then I was beyond nervous but I overcame it and ended up finding the love of my life.

As much as I loved Edward I was equally afraid to step out of my rut. I liked being in control, having order. Throwing all the balls in the air, moving halfway across the country with someone I'd only been seeing for a few months - that wasn't responsible at all. I had a lot of thinking to do.

~*SIML*~

I must have fallen asleep at some point because I woke with a start, frantically looking around for Edward in the moonlit room. He was still sound asleep at my side, looking gorgeously rumpled. I wanted to keep him all to myself, always. How could I ever think so selfishly? His uncle needed him…more than I needed him. My roots were in Washington and I couldn't selfishly think that Edward should stay with me when he was needed elsewhere.

Miss Responsible nodded with her lips in a grim line, while Miss Carefree gasped for air in the corner. She was losing and she knew it.

A tear escaped before I could catch it. He had to leave and I had to stay. Why? Well, I couldn't exactly answer it easily. My responsible side overshadowed everything else.

I crawled up toward Edward and snuggled into his side, tucking my head into the crook of his arm and placed my hand across his firm stomach. His arms enclosed around me, pulling me in, deeper still. I felt his lips press against my hair as he stirred awake. I ran my hands across his chest, just to feel him…to feel his heart beating strong under my palm. I loved this man and I had to let him go.

I kissed his chest where my head lay before working my lips up toward his neck and ear. "I love you, Edward. I want to make love to you, right now."

He groaned, still half asleep but fully aroused. When I reached his lips he was ready for me. We started slowly but quickly became frantic for one another. I straddled his hips, still kissing him passionately. His strong hands held my hips tight, slowly pushing and pulling me across his erection. Our lips, hands and hearts moved faster still. I was hungry for him. I wanted to consume him while he did the same to me.

His fingers pushed my panties aside and found me wet and ready. He didn't linger there long. We both knew what we wanted and foreplay was over.

I sat up just enough to push his pants down his hips. He slid my panties over again and plunged me onto his hardness without even removing them. His hands guided me up and down as he met me in the middle with powerful thrusts.

I don't know how long we stayed like that, consuming each other with every ounce of strength our bodies would allow. I rode him until my thighs burned and still I didn't stop…couldn't stop. The panties must have bothered him eventually, because at one point he reached down and gave them a rough tug. They were gone in an instant. There was no way we were stopping for such a small thing.

Edward eventually rolled us over until he lay over top of me. As silly as it sounded, missionary was my favorite position. I loved to look up and see him over me, moving – fast and slow – pleasuring himself with my body…pleasuring me with his. He always kissed me until we couldn't breathe before resting his head against my shoulder, all the while still thrusting deep and purposefully.

"Uh, Bella. Fuck, I love when you wake me up for this."

"Umm, there…right there. Please, don't stop. Please."

I wasn't above begging. My climax was slowly reaching the peak as his continued to push deep within me, reaching just the right spot.

"I'm close. Oh…please say you're close," he pleaded.

I couldn't respond. I wasn't close, I was there. My orgasm exploded around my body and nothing registered but pleasure. Pure bliss. He continued to drive into me, still hitting where I needed. He shuddered as I felt his cock pulsing deep inside me. This was my favorite moment. Everything lead up to that one moment where two bodies became one. Sharing our most extraordinarily, private pleasures – pulsing around and within one another.

As we later lay wrapped around one another, allowing sleep to once again take us under, I wondered what exactly was holding me back. The problem was…I didn't know. But I did know that I couldn't and wouldn't move to Chicago with Edward. I had to let him go.

"I'm staying here, Edward. Please don't hate me for doing this," I whispered as I brushed his wayward hair away from his forehead. He was fast asleep and I'm sure didn't hear a word. But I'd said them out load and they felt like noose around my neck.

~*SIML*~

**DUN DUN DUN!**

**Alright! Don't kill the author! Bella's gotta work things out in her head. Miss Responsible is very good at keeping Bella in her rutt. Miss Carefree may have to use drastic measures. **

**REVIEW PLEASE! I need to know what you think.**

**A super special thanks to my two beta's ****batgirl8968 & FicObsessed who I constantly think will eventually give up on my slow writing ass - but they don't and I love them even more :)**

******Also another thank you to MandyLeigh87 for helping me work through the last few chapters. I couldn't have done it without her :)**

**One Rec (why aren't you reading this?):**

***The Peep Hole Chronicles  
****MandyLeigh87 & I are hosting a collaboration that has turned out to be so fun!  
**_**Three boys. Three girls. Two peepholes. One big mis adventure. A Round Robin Collaboration. All human. Rated M.**_


	15. Chapter 15

**Not much to say here because I know you all are dying to see what happens next. See author note at the bottom.**

**Disclaimer: Not mine**

~*SIML*~

_Chapter 14 Recap (BPOV)_

_As we later lay wrapped around one another, allowing sleep to once again take us under, I wondered what exactly was holding me back. The problem was…I didn't know. But I did know that I couldn't and wouldn't move to Chicago with Edward. I had to let him go._

_"I'm staying here, Edward. Please don't hate me for doing this," I whispered as I brushed his wayward hair away from his forehead. He was fast asleep and I'm sure didn't hear a word. But I'd said them out loud and they felt like a noose around my neck._

~*SIML*~

EPOV

When I woke up, Bella's side of the bed was empty and cold. I loved to snuggle with her and wondered how she managed to escape from my embrace. She must have been up for a while I had guessed. I rolled over to look for the time. _Six forty-eight am? I wonder why she's up so early on a Saturday morning? We should be…sleeping. Right. Sleeping, that's what we should have been doing._ I chuckled at the thought. If I had to be up at six forty-eight on a Saturday morning I would much rather spend it in bed with Bella...not sleeping.

I sat up and groaned at the slight ache in my muscles. Bella had woken me up in the middle of the night for…not sleeping…and I relished the thought of having her again this morning. I pulled on my cotton pajama pants and with it brought another memory; _Bella and I in Chicago, sharing my pajamas for the first time._ I loved her in my clothes. There was just something so sexy about her wearing the matching top to my bottom. _Great, now I'm hard._

A light blinking on the night stand caught my eye. I had missed a call and the light was alerting me of a voicemail. I got up and set out to find Bella, choosing to check the voicemail later– it was early on Saturday morning after all. I needed to bring her back to bed…or the couch…or the island in the kitchen.

When I walked into the living room I saw that Bella was curled up into the corner of the sofa with a cup of coffee grasped in between her hands. She sat very still, staring wide eyed out the windows overlooking the Seattle sky line. It didn't appear like she was looking at anything in particular – more that she was in a daze. I quietly walked to her and kissed the crown of her head. She released a shudder of breath before looking up at me with a sad smile.

"Good morning," I told her quietly.

"Morning," she whispered.

"What are you doing out of bed? It's Saturday." I cocked my head and grinned at her.

"I couldn't sleep," she replied before looking down into her full cup of coffee, effectively hiding her eyes.

I sat down next to her, placed her coffee cup on the table and gently put my fingers on her chin to turn her face to mine. Her sadness radiated toward me.

"What's wrong, sweet girl?"

A soft sob escaped her lips before she threw herself into my arms, burying her face into my chest. My heartbeat picked up at the thought of something wrong with my beautiful Bella. I embraced her tightly and let her cry, doing my best to calm her.

I could hear my phone ringing from my bedroom but dismissed it. My main concern was Bella and what was bothering her so badly.

"Shh…shh…shh. Calm down, beautiful. What's wrong?" I asked while I stroked her hair from the top all the way down her back…over and over again.

I heard her muffled reply but couldn't make it out.

"What's that?"

She pulled away from me but only slightly, staying in my embrace. I leaned back a bit and looked down at her red, puffy eyes. Her tears hadn't subsided but she was doing her best to keep them at bay.

"It's… it's just that-"

The dull sound of my phone ringing from my room interrupted her.

"You should get that," she whispered, sniffling toward the end.

"It's all right, they can wait. What's going on in that head of yours? What can I do to help?"

"It's been ringing on and off since three, Edward. It might be important," she added, attempting to sidetrack the conversation.

"You're important, Bella. Please tell me what's wrong."

More tears welled up and ran down her cheeks. She was worrying me to death. What could possibly have happened-

_Our conversation last night._

We'd agreed to talk more about it. For some ridiculous reason I thought that the middle of the night romp she'd prompted was her way of telling me we'd work it out._ Gah, I'm such a guy._

I looked at her with pleading eyes. "Bella, if this is about Chicago and my uncle's company let's talk about it. Ask me anything. We'll work it all out." I was rambling. I knew I was rambling but I couldn't stop. "We'll sell my place. Your place? You're on a month to month now. Your landlord wouldn't be upset. It's your right as a tenant. Rosalie and Alice? They have Emmett and Jasper now." I was grasping for straws. Her sad face, the tears, being up and out of bed so early. I was more than afraid to hear what she had to say without talking about it together first. I could feel my heartbeat in my throat. "You loved Chicago on our last trip. Well, it was business but you remember, right? We had a great time. I'll show you around the whole city. You'll love living there. And work? You can work there for my uncle – well…me, Bella. I'm sure they're always looking for another agent. The more the-"

"Edward!" she practically yelled. I stopped my rambling and held my breath, wide-eyed and waiting.

"I can't go to Chicago," she said sadly, shaking her head in defeat.

My eyebrows drew together as I attempted to grasp the simple words she'd just spoken. _She can't go._ Well if she couldn't go, I wouldn't leave without her.

"Then I won't go," I stated simply.

She furrowed her brow and looked at me questioningly. "Edward, I can't ask you to stay. If this is what you want-"

"I want you, Bella. Anything else is a bonus. If you can't go, then I won't go."

"I won't keep you from-"

"Stop. I don't want Chicago without you. I'll talk to my uncle. I'll tell him… well, I don't know what I'll tell him, but-"

My phone rang again. Whoever it was wasn't going to stop until they reached me.

I squeezed her hand and brought it to my lips to kiss its softness. "Hang on a second and let me get my phone. That way we can talk without interruptions." She nodded with a tiny smile before I got up.

I went to my room to retrieve my phone. When I opened the call log it showed I had missed five calls from my mother and two from my Uncle Eleazer in Chicago. I decided to call my mom first. It only rang once before she picked up.

Her voice sounded rough from sleep, which didn't make sense with the number of phone calls I'd just received from her.

"Hi, Mom, I'm sorry if I woke you. I just got up and noticed you'd called. Is everything all right?"

"_Oh, Edward. It's your Aunt Carmen."_

My heart stopped for a second before picking up to a gallop. My Aunt Carmen was my mother's only sister. She and my uncle were never able to have children, so they were like second parents to me. We only grew apart slightly with our family's move to Washington. I was still very close to them. Hearing my mother's words ran a dread-filled chill down my spine.

"_She had a stroke late yesterday."_

~*SIML*~

BPOV

The next three weeks were a blur of activity. Emmett and Rosalie rented and moved into Edward's apartment, preventing him from having to sell it right away. Alice and Jasper decided to keep their own places but we all knew that wouldn't last much longer. I think Alice was still there, more or less, for me. Edward stayed at my apartment for the last two weeks before leaving for Chicago.

His aunt's stroke had debilitated her severely and his uncle was biding time until Edward arrived to take over. Eleazer needed to spend his valuable time with his wife, helping her heal and rehabilitate. Edward was leaving for Chicago…and I was not.

We cried together more times that I would have liked to admit. We made love sometimes three times a day, treating each as if it were the last. We promised daily -if not hourly- phone calls, Skype calls every evening and all day texts. We'd see each other for holidays…we'd hoped. It was not over, but it felt like it. I wasn't sure how the long distance thing would work.

Miss Carefree was beyond reasoning. She started out with a cute pout but as time drug on the pout turned into sobbing tears and then finally…silence. She was still there but no longer offering anything but sadness. We were heartbroken. Miss Responsible was even more quiet than usual. I figured she'd be wearing a perma-grin because of my choices but she seemed fairly subdued. She was going about her usual business making sure everything was in its proper place, all the i's dotted and t's crossed; but that was it. She was simply going through the motions.

The day finally arrived. I'd spent a few morning hours at Alice's apartment under the pretense of having coffee together. But it was more that I was not willing to watch Edward pack away his life and leave me behind. I knew it was my choice…but it was killing me inside.

I went back to my place, quietly passing Edward as he was doing something in the kitchen. I showered and dressed in a foggy haze. I was caught up in my own head not seeing anything, not hearing anything. I wasn't actually sure I could voluntarily leave Edward at the airport. Everyone was coming for support. They knew.

I felt strong arms wrap around my waist and soft lips caress my neck. I sighed and crumbled in his embrace. Physically I was ready – I was showered and dressed. But emotional…mentally…I would never be ready. I wasn't sure that anything could have prepared me for the heartache.

He turned me and held me as tight as he could. I couldn't breathe. It wasn't his intense embrace, it was my lungs refusing to work any longer. It felt like my body was slowly shutting down, refusing to cooperate.

Miss Responsible was sitting on the edge of a big, pink covered bed looking down at Miss Carefree. She caressed her cheek and murmured quietly to her. I didn't hear what she'd said, nor did I care. My responsible decision seemed more and more irrational as time passed and I was resentful. She knew it but pressed on like any good steward would – going about her daily duties, almost robotically.

Edward and I stayed wrapped around each other until Emmett cleared his throat from the doorway.

"It's time to go, guys." The sadness in his voice was hard to disguise.

I looked up at Edward as he caressed my cheek, wiping away my never ending tears. His eyes were lined in red. It wasn't easy for either of us.

"I love you my sweet, beautiful girl. Always and forever."

"I love you too," I replied with a croaking voice.

His warm hands held my face as he pleaded with his eyes. "Come with me?" he asked again. He'd asked me a hundred times every day, hoping I'd change my mind.

My non-reply was answer enough for him. He knew how much I struggled with my decision, however ludicrous it was.

He simply released my face and grabbed my hand, nodding one last time. A chaste kiss on my lips sealed it. I was staying, he was going.

The caravan to the airport was quiet. Emmett drove us in his Hummer as Alice and Jasper followed in Alice's Mini-Cooper. I sat in the back with Edward, holding him as close as I could with our seatbelts restraints tugging tightly. I wasn't ready to let him go.

When we arrived at the airport I hung back, letting Edward say goodbye to everyone. I looked around at the strangers going about their own business. Some were sitting around, waiting. Some were walking quickly to security, as if they were too close to missing their own flights. Some stood anxiously, sometimes stretching their necks to see around other strangers…looking for someone…waiting for someone. One woman stood still, off to the side with her hands folded over her swollen belly. I wondered who she was waiting for.

Looking back toward Edward I could see him hugging Alice but his gaze was set on me. They pulled away from their embrace and Alice's hand on his cheek brought his eyes back to hers. It was too loud around us to hear what she's said to him, but a small smile tugged at his lips and he responded, what appeared to be a "thank you." His eyes met mine again and I knew this was it.

Alice looked over her shoulder at me and back to Edward. She squeezed his hands one last time and let him go.

Just as always, our bodies responded to one another without much thought. We were drawn together…always….like magnets.

His long strides caught up to my short ones and pulled me tight against his chest. A tiny sob left my throat but I refused to get caught up and emotional there. We'd done that back home and this was not the time for it. I wanted him to see that I would be okay. I didn't want him upset about my choices. I sniffled one last time and tried to put on my best smile. I looked up into his sad eyes and kissed him with everything I had. Our breaths were ragged as our foreheads came together, our lips still lightly touching.

"I love you with all my heart, Isabella Marie Swan. This isn't over. This isn't goodbye."

"I love you too, Edw-" I couldn't finish. A sob stuck in my throat and wouldn't allow anything more to come out.

"I'll see you again soon. I'll call you as soon as I land and again after I get settled into the new place."

I nodded and kissed him again. We stood there, with our forehead together, staring into one another's eyes for what felt like eternity. I could see the depth of his love for me in his eyes. I memorized the green and golden flecks, as if that would keep me sane enough to go through with staying in Washington while he lived half way across the country.

One last kiss and he had to go. He grabbed his carry-on from Emmett's shoulder and slowly walked toward security. He got through quickly, looking back toward me every so often. I stood stoically with my hands over my heart. I may have appeared to be all together but my heart was racing and I was falling apart inside. He looked back once more and pressed his fingers to his lips, kissing them and waving goodbye for the last time. I watched until he was out of site, refusing to break down.

From my peripheral I could see the tiny pregnant woman moving forward, her eyes set firmly on something…or someone. I turned in time to see her moving as fast as her body could safely move before it was gathered up in a sea of camouflage. Her arms wrapped around the neck of a man in some sort of military uniform as he softly picked her up off the ground and spun her in a circle. They kissed and laughed for what felt like eternity. I smiled at their happiness. The man placed her safely back on the floor before kneeling before her. She looked down at him as he looked up at her, placing his hands reverently on her stomach.

I had to turn away.

Their happiness made me think of my own sadness and the fact that mine was self induced. She obviously had to be without her love because he was out fighting for our country. But me? I was too hard-headed to see what was plainly before me until it was too late.

The sob that was caught in my throat finally tore through my body and released loudly. My knees gave out as I attempted to move toward the gates. My rational thinking was gone. Strong arms caught me before I fell to my knees.

"Let me go! I have to go to him!"

"Bella! Bella, calm down," I heard, not sure which of our friends it came from.

"No! He can't go without me. I have to go!" I screamed as I struggled against the arms around my waist.

Emmett pulled me tight against him and spoke softly from behind. "Bella…he's gone."

"No," I whimpered.

I hung there limp like a rag doll as my body caught up with my mind. _What have I done? I let him go!_

With no further struggle from me, Emmett pulled me up into his arms and carried me away from the airport. I vaguely remember the ride home, only the deep, empty heartache I felt in letting someone go that I didn't have to. I remember the sobbing tears turning into an angry fit and Rosalie climbing into the back seat to help calm me down. But I was inconsolable. By the time we got back to my apartment I was resigned. I had made my choice and I needed to live with it.

~*SIML*~

I crawled into bed with my clothes on after finally sending Alice away. She had attempted, several times, to get my attention –get me to do anything but sulk- but it was too soon. Edward had only landed a few hours ago and our phone call was short and sad. I curled up onto his side of the bed, hoping to catch a bit of his scent from his pillow. It was still there. I grasped my phone tightly, waiting for his next call while burrowing my face deep into his pillow.

I lay there, awake, thinking about the way I had acted and reacted over the last several hours. I would have to apologize to my friends later. I thought about the pregnant lady at the airport and how she really had no choice in being without her husband. But she did…really. She'd made that choice knowing separation was inevitable for them. But still, there she was…standing on the other side, waiting for him to return to her.

I fell asleep only to wake thirty minutes later, wondering why I was all alone in bed at dusk before I remembered. _I let him go._

I wrapped my arms around his pillow and felt something poke my elbow from under my own pillow. I furrowed my brow and pushed my hand under it, wondering what on earth was in my bed. What I found was a yellow post-it note. I flipped it over and saw Edward's handwriting. My breathing sped up and I scrambled to sit up and pay attention.

_Bella, I love spend my nights with you. Love, Edward._

A small giggle escaped my lips before turning into crying. I cried for about ten minutes before collecting myself, getting up and getting a bottle of water. I carried his note with me. I loved that he thought enough to do it, knowing I'd be upset.

As I made my way back to my bedroom I noticed another yellow note stuck randomly on the hallway wall. My heart jumped at the thought of another note. I pulled it from the wall and read the second note.

_Bella, there are very fond memories on such a simple thing as a hallway wall. Love, Edward._

I smiled as I remembered the many times we'd made love against a wall. That specific one and even the one in our hotel room in Chicago. Sometimes we were too caught up in one another to care where…just that we were together.

Another thought crossed my mind. How had I missed that note? It was a yellow slip of paper stuck to my white, blank wall. That was easy. I was in a daze before I found the first one. I turned around, looking toward my living room and kitchen with new eyes. The sight before me brought me to tears once again.

The apartment was scattered with yellow notes.

Miss Carefree sat up and looked around. Her hair looked like a bird's nest. Miss Responsible quietly pulled a brush from the night stand and started brushing Carefree Bella's hair. I quirked an eyebrow, wondering what on earth was going on with the two of them.

I spent the better part of the evening searching for and reading the little love notes Edward had left for me. Like always, he knew what he was doing. Each and every note added another little piece to the bridge that separated me from Edward.

The one on my bedroom wall read, _Bella, I'd rather spend a thousand sleepless nights with you, than one night alone. Love, Edward._

The one in my linen closest: _Bella, Chicago is a cold city without the one you love. Love, Edward._

The one on my windows: _Bella, No view is as beautiful as the window into your soul. Love, Edward._

The last one was on my front door: _Bella, Please go see Alice. She has something for you. Love, Edward._

Before I could open the door, Miss Responsible met me with a remorseful look on her face. I didn't have time to bother with her. I was too upset with the decision she helped lead me toward. AND I needed to see what else Edward had for me. She looked down at the floor before sighing and looking me square in the eye. They were sad but determined. _I'm sorry. I was wrong. None of us are happy without him._ She stepped away from the door to let me pass and made her way back to Miss Carefree.

My heart was pounding as I dashed up the two flights of stairs to her apartment. I beat on her door relentlessly, not paying much attention to what time it was. She came to the door with her hair a mess and eyes half closed.

"It's about time," she grumbled before handing me another yellow note.

I leaned forward and kissed her cheek, "Thank you, Alice." I quickly ran back to my apartment, waiting to read the last note in privacy.

Once the door was shut I leaned against it and pressed the note to my chest. I was nervous as to what I would find. I pulled it away from my chest and looked down.

_Bella, look in the bottom left drawer of your dresser. Love, Edward._

I dashed to my room, tripping over crap I had thrown across my apartment in search of the cherished little notes. I scrambled on my knees to the dresser and grabbed the handles. I took a deep breath before opening the drawer.

In it I found every pajama top that Edward owned. The blue and white stripped shirt I first wore in Chicago sat proudly on top.

I undressed completely before putting on the top that started it all. And just like the first time, I pulled the fabric to my nose and drew in a deep breath, smelling the pure sent of Edward.

After that, I sat back down and took my time with each one, pulling them out and feeling the fabric before I found another note stuck to the bottom of the drawer. It brought tears to my eyes.

_Bella, I am incomplete without you; only one half of a whole. Love, Edward._

I cried for a minute before steadily standing up and going to my closet. I pulled out the largest suitcase I owned and opened it. In it was one last note attached to an airline ticket.

_Bella, I won't take no for an answer. Come with me. Love, Edward._

~*SIML*~

**SOOO? What did you think? Review and tell me!**

**Quick thank you to my beta's, ****batgirl8968 & FicObsessed,**** who ALWAYS do an amazing job.**

**Thank you to everyone who read and voted for my story, Are You Gonna Kiss Me or Not in The Lemonade Stand Lyrics and Lemons Contest. I didn't win but I DID get an honorable mention! Please go read and review it!**


	16. Chapter 16

**AN: YES, I'm fully aware this is a shorter chapter. Please just read.**

~*SIML*~

_Chapter 15 Recap (BPOV)_

I cried for a minute before steadily standing up and going to my closet. I pulled out the largest suitcase I owned and opened it. In it was one last note attached to an airline ticket.

_Bella, I won't take no for an answer. Come with me. Love, Edward._

~*SIML*~

**EPOV**

Leaving Washington without Bella was the hardest thing I had done in my entire life. I knew she struggled with what to do. She was her own worst enemy. I was upset with her decision but I knew she still needed to work things out in her own head. She was not an impulsive person and I wasn't surprised when she said she wasn't going. But I had responsibilities that I couldn't just ignore. So I left for Chicago…without Bella…and without my heart.

~*SIML*~

**Two Years Later**

She gasped when we reached the door of the hotel room. She turned to me with her eyes wide.

"Is this…"

"It is," I answered before she could finish.

I guided her through the door and shut it behind us, closing us in and the world out.

"I love you," I whispered into her ear while wrapping my arms around her too thin center.

"Hmmm, I love you too," she replied, grinding her ass into my already hard cock.

"Why don't we go take a bath and relax before we go out?"

"But I want to do this," she whined, swiveling her hips, pushing her ass harder against me.

I growled and bit the sensitive skin below her ear before answering. "Maybe we can do…both." I teased my fingers over the seam of her jeans while I rubbed my cock against her ass again.

She shuddered in response.

I turned her and kissed her deeply, drawing a moan from her, before I led her to the large bathroom. The room was dimly lit with candles placed on every available surface; the water was littered with rose petals.

She stopped and took in the sight before her. Turning, she stretched up on her tiptoes and wrapped her arms around my neck. I bent down, meeting her halfway. Our kiss was slow and sensual. We stripped each other, our lips never losing contact until her shirt needed to go.

Climbing into the oversized tub didn't keep us separated for long. She straddled my lap, my cock standing expectantly between us, waiting for the inevitable. I slid my hand into her short hair and pulled her head aside to kiss along her slender neck.

I couldn't help how my mind wandered away. I couldn't believe how different my life had turned out over the last two years. It all felt right…except for one thing. It was time to move forward and get on with my life.

So there I was.

I kissed my away up her neck and jaw until I reached her mouth. Breathing against her lips I lifted her up, positioning her above me. She closed her eyes and sunk down onto me slowly. We both let out breathy moans as she moved over me. The water lapped at the edges of the tub, spilling over slightly as our bodies rocked together…faster and faster. I gripped her hips and pushed up into her the way I'd learned she liked. As she pulsed around me in climax, I held her tight and spilled into her heat.

~*SIML*~

I wanted to make sure we bathed before the water turned cold. With her between my legs, her back to me, I started with her hair. I massaged the shampoo and conditioner into her too short hair. I kissed and licked at her neck every chance I got. Sometimes she'd giggle…sometimes she'd moan.

Her laughter was music to my ears. I remembered a time when there had been little of it in our lives.

**~*Flashback*~**

_When I wrote her the notes I hadn't planned on going as far as I did. But, by the time I finished I was pleased with the end result. I knew my Bella better than anyone. It was only a matter of time. She was the type that needed to be pressed before she did anything. That's why I left the airline ticket._

_I stood at the airport waiting for what I knew was coming. She hadn't called…I just knew._

_About thirty yards away, I saw her walking and struggling with a carry-on that appeared to be overstuffed. I sniggered at the memory of the last airline losing her luggage. It looked as if she was ready in case that happened again. Her brunette hair was pulled up into an unkempt ponytail, her clothes were wrinkled and her eyes tired as they searched. I took two steps forward and the motion caught her eye. "Edward," she mouthed. The look on her face was a mixture of relief and happiness. _

_I strode toward her quickly as she broke out into a full blown run, dropping her bag along the way. I caught her in my embrace as she leapt into me, wrapping her legs around my waist and arms around my neck. She buried her face in the crook of my neck as I spun a few times to keep my balance. She leaned back and framed my face in her hands, her red eyes searching mine. I refused to let any more time pass between us. I leaned in and kissed her with everything that I had. It was hard…and deep…and intense. The sights and sounds of the airport disappeared around us as we reunited. It had only been a day and a half but for a moment, it felt like it might be forever. _

_After some time we pulled away from one another. I put her down, but didn't let her go._

"_You're here," I whispered in awe._

_She nodded. "I'm here." Her face contorted into sadness as the tears started to fall. "Edward, I'm s- s- so sorry. I…I…-" She couldn't catch her breath or seem to get any more words out. I held her tight and shushed away her need for an apology. I knew she would come and I didn't want her to regret the decisions she'd made – good or bad._

"_You're here now and that's all that matters."_

_She sniffled against my chest, trying to calm her tears. Once she was composed she looked up at me again. "How did you know?"_

_I smiled down into her beautiful brown eyes and replied, "Because, Bella, you are as incomplete without me as I am without you. Two halves of a whole."_

**~*End Flashback*~**

I picked up the soft sponge and vanilla scented soap and started washing her neck. I was entranced as the bubbles slid down her neck and across her back. The candles in the room danced shadows around us. I moved forward and gently washed her breasts. Her head came back and rested against my chest as she hummed with happiness. I don't think I could have loved her any more than in that simple yet intimate moment. Next I moved down her right arm, keeping the bubbles thick as they washed across her supple skin. Moving across her stomach I reached her left arm, washing it just the same – with one slight difference. When I reached her hand I slipped the ring onto her finger. I felt her breathing stop for just a second. I didn't react. I dipped the sponge into the cooling water and proceeded to rinse the soap from her naked skin. Bella had turned to look over her shoulder, hoping to catch my eye. I kept rinsing.

Within seconds she turned and straddled my hips with her left hand pressed against my wet chest – a huge, beautiful grin on her face. She shook her head and looked down at her hand, glistening with soapy water and an antique diamond ring.

"Edw-"

"Bella," I interrupted, "our future started here in this city…in this room. Since then, we've lived together and loved together…and lost together." A tear slid from her eye and I used my thumb to wipe it away. I pressed our forehead together and started again. "I wouldn't have let you stay in Washington. If you hadn't come to me…I would have come to get you. My life is incomplete without you. We have our future before us and I want you there, by my side…as my wife. Will you marry me?"

She softly placed her hands on my face, framing it- our foreheads still pressed together.

"Edward," she whispered.

I may have appeared calm but my heart was beating heavy against my chest. I should have known her answer but she'd surprised me before. I needed her to say it.

"Bella?"

She leaned forward and gave me a chaste kiss before quickly nodding. She whispered a quiet "yes" against my lips.

"Yes?"

She nodded again. "Yes."

"Yes," I repeated with a huge smile, as if I couldn't believe the answer.

I pressed my lips against hers and murmured a quiet "thank you" before deepening the kiss. She giggled and wrapped her arms around me neck, her fingers digging deep into my hair. I loved when she grabbed my hair and she knew it. It was one of those things she knew would drive me crazy.

I kissed my way across her cheek and down her neck. When I reached her breasts I kissed them reverently, giving each nipple a little lick before gently sucking them.

My cock noticed how they perked up and hardened in my mouth.

I looked up at my beautiful fiancé to gauge her response. She noticed it hardening between us – of course- and cocked an eyebrow at me

"Again?" she asked with a cocky voice.

I leaned in and nipped against her collarbone. "Again," I growled into her breast.

~*SIML*~

**A/N: *evil grin* Skeerd ya for a second there, didn't I? I'm a HEA kind of author! Did you not trust me at all? Sheesh! Only the epi left now *wipes tears away*. I will miss our Conferenceward and his cavity inducing sweetness.**

**YES there will be an outtake posted as to why Bella is so thin and her hair is shorter. You will find it in October, here: www . grope4life . blogspot . com**

**MandyLeigh87 and I, along with a few more authors have decided to write some one shots and outtakes for charity. Here's how it works: You donate to the cancer charity of your choice and receive ALL of our works we've donated. Your money goes to the cancer charity of your choice. Please go donate!**

**ALSO! PUT ME ON AUTHOR ALERT, I'm working on a plot bunny that will blow your mind!**


	17. ATTENTION READERS

**ATTENTION READERS!**

**THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT AUTHOR NOTE!**

**PLEASE TAKE A MINUTE TO READ!**

Several of you have asked what happened to Bella because of the "short hair and too thin" phrases from Edward in chapter 16. There is an outtake available!

Here: www . grope4life . blogspot . com

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. A few months ago, MandyLeigh87 asked me to join in the effort for cancer awareness and to help raise money for the cause. OF COURSE I said yes.

Donate a minimum of $5 to the cancer charity of your choice and then go to this website- www . grope4life . blogspot . com - and send us a copy of our receipt (you can remove private info if you choose). For your donation, you will receive all of the compellations written and donated for this cause.

You will find three entries by me and several other great works by some of your favorite FanFic authors – to include MandyLeigh87 herself.

Go there NOW and see the teasers that have posted!

~*IHTR*~

My first is a one shot called, **Cabin Pressure**.

Bella's a hard working flight attendant who doesn't say no when it comes to helping a friend in need. Can one flight change her whole life? B&E, Romance

My second is the outtake between chapters 15 and 16 of **Such Is My Luck – the missing two years.**

AND *drum roll please* my third and final entry is the prologue for the newest story I'm working on. It's called, **The Life and Death of Isabella Swan.**

Isabella Swan's battle with a near constant illness baffles doctors. Can anyone find the cure before it's too late?

~*IHTR*~

Most of us have been affected by cancer in one way or another – ourselves, family members or friends. I hope you'll consider donating to this cause. All monetary donations will go to the cancer charity of your choice.


	18. Time Is Almost UP

Time's almost up! If you want to receive a copy of the** Such Is My Luck Outtake, The Missing Two Years** - you need to get a move on it!

Go here: **www . grope4life . blogspot . com**

There you will find several links to cancer charity websites. You can donate as little as $5.00 to the cancer charity _of your choice_. Send us a copy of your receipt and you'll get my outtake.

On or shortly after October 9th, you will receive an email with mine and several author's works as a compilation and a "Thank You" for your donation.

A.N.D.

I'm working on a new story…did you know that? It's gonna be a different and oh so very great. **The Life and Death of Isabella Swan**. The prologue is be included in the compilation. You'll be the first to see it!

Please donate!

PS: I'll share my story with anyone who's willing to ask and I'll tell you why I'm so passionate about this cause.

Sincerely,

ImHereToReview


	19. epi

**AN: **sniffle** Yep…it's over. The End. Finished. **looks around** Someone hug me. My story's all grown up and ready to be on her own.**

~*SIML*~

_Chapter 16 Recap (EPOV)_

_I looked up at my beautiful fiancé to gauge her response. She noticed it hardening between us – of course- and cocked an eyebrow at me_

"_Again?" she asked with a cocky voice._

_I leaned in and nipped against her collarbone. "Again," I growled into her breast._

~*SIML*~

**Eleven Months Later**

**EPOV**

"Ladies and gentlemen, on behalf of Evanson Cullen Enterprises I would like to welcome you into our family."

I sat in awe as I watched my wife speak to a small group of new employees. No one in the room noticed the tiny wince that pulled at the corner of her right eye. Only someone who knew her as well as I did would. I was concerned for her, but she was stubborn and insisted on greeting the new recruits personally – just like she always did.

I had taken over Evanson Cullen Enterprises a little more than three years ago with the insistence from my uncle to change the name. The company had been his legacy and I wouldn't do that to him. It took over seven months of his constant nagging to, at least, add my name.

Bella gingerly walked down the two steps and made her way toward me. Her slender fingers caressed her swollen stomach – which I'd guessed was tightening with yet another contraction. The cute waddle she'd tried to hide while at work was in full force. Being in early labor apparently pushed those little things to the wayside. I was beyond surprised when she insisted on greeting our new employees before heading to the hospital. _Always so stubborn._ I reluctantly allowed it but insisted that I be present and that she make it brief. She made that speech in record time. I could tell she was regretting the decision now.

I leaned to whisper in her ear. "That wasn't necessary you know. But I'm sure they'll love you like everyone else does. Now, let's get you to the hospital, beautiful." I kissed the top of her head.

She nodded and tried to keep the grimace off her face as she breathed through another contraction. I placed my hand over the curve of her stomach and smiled at the kick our daughter gave me. Her mother, on the other hand, was not smiling. She was in pain.

I took her hand in mine and placed my palm on the small of her back, rubbing as I lead her to the elevator. In a matter of a few hours, we'd no longer be two…but three. I didn't think I could be any happier.

~*SIML*~

**Six Months Later**

**BPOV**

I watched from the doorway as my sexy husband attempted to lay our daughter down to sleep in her crib after giving her a bath. I loved to watch his sinuous body cradle our tiny daughter so carefully. It made him all that more appealing to me. He hadn't seen me and didn't know I'd heard him bargaining with her. I sniggered under my breath at his pleadings.

"Emma," Edward saying in a terribly cute, whispery, baby-talk voice, "Mommy and Daddy would really, really like to bake some cookies tonight. I miss baking cookies."

Miss Carefree giggled and ran to gather all the proper ingredients to "bake cookies".

Miss Responsible rolled her eyes but laughed at her sister's silliness.

We all knew that "baking cookies" was secret code for sexy times. Edward and I had come up with it as a joke but it stuck. The baby wouldn't understand what we were saying anyway, but it just felt wrong saying things like that around her. Hence, "baking cookies."

He continued to lean over the crib having a serious discussion with our very awake infant. "If you could be the sweet little angel that I know you can be, it would help us out so very much," he continued. "If you sleep for just a few hours tonight I promise I'll buy you a brand new, shiny car on your sixteenth birthday. You can even pick it out yourself."

Emma just cooed and gurgled at her daddy, oblivious that her lack of sleep was affecting much more than just our need for sleep.

"Can you do that, my little angel? Can you sleep for a little bit?" He reached to turn on the mobile above her head. She loved to watch it spin and hear it sing to her. There was something about the noise and movement that put her to sleep. We had no clue as to why but didn't question it.

I could hear the slight rustle of fabric-against-diaper as she started the bedtime ritual of kicking her little feet until she wore herself down enough to sleep. She gurgled and talked to her dancing friends attached to strings while Edward slowly backed away.

Though she was a bit of a handful, we'd never trade her in a million years. She was a stubborn as her mother and as beautiful as her father. But imagine our surprise when Emma's dark hair began fading lighter and lighter until it reached a honey blonde that matched her Poppa Lisle's. And even more surprising that our little princess ended up with blue eyes. Edward always called her his Angel. If not for her cantankerous mood, I might actually agree.

Miss Responsible clucked her tongue at me for speaking such things as…_the truth_ about our little one. She thought Emma could do no wrong. She was always one to spoil her and insisted Emma be read to until she fell asleep. Emma never wanted to sleep to the simple droning of our voices…it had to be noisy and annoying. But Miss Responsible didn't bat an eye at her disinterest.

Miss Carefree was all for loud and annoying. The mobile was her idea. She could hardly wait for Emma to grow up enough to have her singing and dancing around like the superstar she knew she'd be. In the mean time she was stocking up pink bubblegum so she could teach her proper bubble blowing technique. She was waiting patiently until Emma's tiny teeth slowly came in.

The little yawn-slash-sigh that escaped her little mouth was a good indicator that the loud noise of the mobile was doing what it was intended for. She was finally falling asleep.

Edward smiled when he turned to leave her room and saw me in the doorway. The smile was different. It wasn't one I knew six months ago. I'd slowly learned that the new smile was exclusively for our Angel. He loved being a daddy as much as I loved being a mommy.

We both still ran Evanson Cullen Enterprises and had even seen it grow in the years we'd taken over. His uncle was beyond proud. The one major change we made was adding both a nursery and a daycare on site. We took Emma there every morning…together. And picked her up every afternoon…together. We'd both paid our dues and worked our asses off to prove we were the right people to take over the multi-million dollar company. But we decided the instant we found out we were pregnant, that our family would take first priority. Aunt Carmen always reminded me to live in the moment and not regret anything. One regret would have been spending time away from my family to make rich men richer. The thing was…no one seemed to mind that we placed our family on the top rung of our ladder. Our clients and employees alike knew that –unless it was an on-fire emergency – not to bother us before or after hours. We had more important things to attend to. One another.

"How long were you standing there?" he questioned in a whisper, bringing me out of my reverie.

I gave him my best, sexy you're-so-gonna-get-some-cookies smile. I cocked an eyebrow and answered with a little snark. "Long enough to know that our daughter's car will probably be more expensive and ostentatious than a sixteen year old needs."

He gave me a sheepish grin before it turned into his signature sexy smirk as he thought of a flirty retort. "As if you don't already know that she's as spoiled rotten as they come. If bribing her with a car will get me cookies," he trailed off shrugging, feigning interest, quietly closing the door to Emma's nursery behind him.

"Hmm...doesn't sound convincing," I replied as I turned and made my way to our bedroom across the hall. Before I could even reach for the doorknob I felt him behind me. He quickly wrapped his strong arms around me, one hand roaming up toward my breast while the other moved south. I giggled, knowing he would come to me so quickly. His chest was pressed tight against my back and I could feel his excitement pressed against the small of my back. I could feel his warm breath on my neck as he leaned in further, kissing my neck.

The sensations were all too much. His one hand cradled my breast and teased my nipple as the other gently circled my clit. His kisses on my neck drove me mad while his hips gyrated against me, grinding his erection lower and against my ass. I whimpered as his lips captured my earlobe and his tongue taunted me further.

"Do you feel this, sweet girl?" he asked while making another gyration of his hips against my ass. "Is that not convincing enough? Or do you need further proof of just how much I want you?"

A breath shudder from my parted lips and brought a moan with it. He knew what I liked and how to get what he liked too. I slowly turned my head and our lips finally met in a searing kiss. I lifted my hand and fisted a handful of his hair. He liked it a little rough and it brought him closer – it was a win/win. The noises he made further confirmed just how much he loved when I did things like that. We always made beautiful sweet love but tonight would be a "fucking night." Though we'd still be slightly restrained in our actions, there would be little sweetness about our connection for the night. It had been too long since the last time and we both needed hard and fast.

He suddenly grabbed me by my shoulders and turned me while pushing me up against the door of our bedroom. Our lips continued their assault on one another as hands groped and grabbed. My silk robe was discarded quickly and thrown to down the hall, floating along the hardwood. Edward was surprised to find his favorite midnight blue teddy and groaned into my cleavage, licking and sucking along the way. His white t-shirt soon became part of a grown pile of our clothes.

He reached into my panties and slipped a finger through my already wet heat. "Always so ready for me."

"Always."

I pushed his gym pants down and out of the way, just enough to release his cock from its confines. I wrapped my hand around him and pumped as he worked me with his fingers.

"I need to be inside of you soon, beautiful," he moaned as he lips connected with my neck again.

"Take me," I breathed.

That's all it took. The place was no longer a concern…only that it was the two of us, hard and fast. He shoved my panties down my legs and pushed his pants to the floor. Reaching down he lifted me by my thighs and spread my legs to wrap around his hips. His cocked slipped through my heat twice before he pulled back enough to push the head into my entrance. I held my breath as he reached the hilt. Staying perfectly still, he rested his forehead against my chest and I placed a kiss on the crown of his head. It had only been about a week but it felt like forever. Before our dear, sweet Emma, we were insatiable. We'd have sex anywhere, anytime and it was at least twice a day. Going so long without it after giving birth was bad enough, but it was doctor ordered. But the past week was catching up with the both of us. We needed the satisfaction that we knew we could reach with one another but we needed the connection more. I knew he missed it as much as I did.

He slowly lifted his head and kissed me sweetly before pulling back and pumping back into me slowly at first. It didn't take long for those long, slow pumps to become deep and hard thrusts. Edward grunted, attempting to keep his moans to a minimum. I gasped at a particularly nice move and threw my head back, accidentally hitting my head, as I slid along the paneled door to our bedroom.

The only change in our love making was our noises. Although Emma liked to fall asleep to loud noises, she also liked to wake up to them.

Everything stopped, including our breathing. We clung to each other, waiting to see what the outcome would be to our increasingly noisy hallway activities.

After about thirty seconds we heard it. Emma started out quietly whimpering before it turned into a full blown wail. Such was our luck. We sighed and Edward placed me back on my feet. We righted our half placed clothes and I grabbed my robe. I turned to Edward, who was slipping his shirt back over his head. I grabbed the fabric in my fist and pulled him close. "This isn't over by a long shot, mister."

"Wouldn't dream of it, my love," he replied with a smirk.

Gah, I loved that man. He took everything in stride. Even the fact that neither of us was able to get off before our loud lovemaking woke up our little angel. I kissed him once, twice and again a third time…only much harder and deeper. When we pulled away he headed to our bedroom. I turned toward the nursery to console our infant.

~*SIML*~

Forty-five minutes later, Emma was finally back to sleep and I was half asleep myself. I shuffled across the hallway toward our bedroom and opened the door, half expecting Edward to be fast asleep. My knees nearly buckled as I was met with the most beautiful scene. While I was putting our little one to sleep, Edward had worked very hard to make our evening special despite the interruptions. The room was dimly lit with several candles of all shapes and sizes scattered throughout the room. He had the iPod set up and was playing soft, romantic music in the background. On the nightstand were various massage oils. And on the bed, was my sexy husband only half dressed propping himself up on his elbow, his legs crossed at the ankle. With his "come hither" eyes and a summons from his finger, I was soon on the bed straddled over him.

"What's all this?" I asked with a wide grin on my face.

"Just something I pulled together," he shrugged. "I wanted to do something special for you. To show how much I love you."

"I love you without all of this, you know."

"Oh, I know. I just thought it would increase my chances." He wagged his eyebrows at me, being partly silly and mostly sexy. "That and I want to give you a massage too."

"Awe. I love you so much, baby."

"And I love you my beautiful, sweet girl. Now. Take off those clothes and get your naked ass back here ASAP."

I giggled but followed his orders too a "T". I quickly got off the bed and undressed completely before crawling back up to meet him. He didn't allow me to touch him though. He shook his head and pointed his finger toward the bed.

"On your stomach, Mrs. Cullen. I promised you a massage and a massage you will get."

I rolled on to my stomach and propped my chin up on my folded hands. I felt the bed dip down around me as Edward made his way up my body. He gently pulled my hair together and into a ponytail to prevent it from getting into the massage oil. He kissed my neck and shoulder before pulling away and doing…something. I couldn't see him but I could hear rustling. I had no clue what he was doing…other than being his generally sweet self. He came back to the bed and placed his warm, oil soaked hands onto my shoulders and started rubbing down my back. I groaned at the sensation of his strong hands manipulating my muscles. I loved his massages. As he worked across my back I could feel his erection against my thighs. He'd undressed and was giving me a massage while the two of us were nude. I maybe swooned a little. I tried to rub my legs together to get a little friction but Edward's legs were tight against my thighs.

The longer the massage drew on, the hornier I got. I had no idea how he was keeping his composure, aside from his erection, to a minimum. He leaned up high, his hard cock sliding across my ass as his hands worked my shoulders and his lips connected with my ear. I supposed he wasn't holding it together either.

"I want you, Mrs. Cullen and I need you right now," he whispered into my ear. I nodded in agreement and tried to open my legs to accommodate him. He backed away slightly, but only enough to allow my legs to open for him. He settled his chest against my back, his fingers wrapped around my own and his cock firmly pressed against my opening for the second time that night. I lifted my ass a little to welcome him home. He slid into my needy heat and didn't waste any time. He thrust in and out quickly with an experienced twist of his hips. He knew that it was hard for me to come in that position without some sort of clit stimulation so he withdrew his hand from my own and worked me like he knew I needed. "Is this what you want? What you need? You need my long fingers to rub your clit just like this to make you come all over my hard cock, don't you?" He knew that his fingers on my clit and dirty words in my ear were a recipe for the perfect orgasm. And he was right. Every. Single. Time. My orgasm hit me quickly and I tightened around his steel hard cock as he pumped in and out, working me like only he could. "That's it, Bella. Come for me."

As I came down he recognized my need to breathe. He pulled out slowly and turned me below him. He settled back between my legs with a smirk on his naughty lips before pushing back into me to start all over again. I wrapped my arms around his shoulders and legs around his waist. As much as I loved the many positions we'd tried, the old school, tried and true missionary style was always my favorite. I got to have him close and tight against me and I loved it.

He rocked against me slowly at first. He once told me that he loved the feel of my pussy after my first orgasm. He said it seemed tighter to him. I loved when he explained those types of things to me. It helped me understand him even more.

He made love to me slowly, his eyes never losing contact with mine. Our kisses were soft and words quiet against one another's lips. The slow build made for a big orgasm. He worked me into a slow frenzy and I was about to explode.

"Edward, baby. I'm close. Come with me. Please," I begged. I didn't need to beg though; he was just as ready as I was.

I felt his cock get impossibly harder as he worked his hips in time with mine.

"I'm coming," he breathed. "Bella, I'm coming."

Our orgasms his at the exact same time and the sensation of his pulsing cock against my pulsing pussy was breathtaking. I loved moments like that. Where we were so in tuned with one another than even our orgasms were in synch. We kissed as we both came down from our highs. He pulled out of me and rolled onto his back, wrapping an arm around my shoulder and pulling me tight against my side.

I kissed his shoulder and looked up into his eyes. "Thank you for the massage."

A huge grin spread across his face before he let out a huge belly laugh. I smiled but looked at him in confusion.

"What?" I laughed.

"What? Seriously?" he laughed. "After all that, I get a 'thanks for the massage'?"

My grin spread wider. "Well, it was a good massage," I said in my defense.

With that his expression grew mischievous. He rolled on top of me and proceeded to tickle me. His fingers attacked my ribs and I tried as hard as I could to push him off of me, with no luck.

"Say it. Say how much you loved it."

"I loved it! I loved it!"

"What did you love, Bella?"

"You! You're good, hot lovin'. All of it. Please. Gah! Please stop."

He laughed at my response but at least it made him stop. He kissed me across my cheek, then my nose, then my other cheek before leaning down and kissing my lips softly.

"I love you, beautiful," he said with a loving look on his face.

I framed my hands around his face and responded, "I love you too."

We lay there in silence for a beat, staring at one another and kissing every once in a while. I thought back to our first true encounter in Chicago and decided to tell him something I should have said all those years ago.

"Thank you for rescuing me in Chicago, when I didn't even know I needed rescuing."

"I guess I was just lucky to be in the right place at the right time."

"Nope. I believe I was the lucky one."

~*SIML*~

**Weird AN: Yes the blonde hair, blue eyed baby is SO true. I'm a brown eyed brunette while my husband is a hazel eyed, dark, dirty blonde. Our munchkin? She comes to us from Heaven with sparkling blue eyes and honey blonde hair. So, yes…it happens.**

**Thank-You-From-The-Bottom-Of-My-Heart AN: Thank EACH AND EVERY ONE OF YOU who reviewed (good and bad). I loved hearing your thoughts. **

**A special thank you to my first beta batgirl8968. She was there with me from the beginning and never gave up on me. I love you girl!**

**Another special thank you to FicObsessed who picked up where a previous beta left off and she never missed a beat. I love you too girl!**

**Thanks to LouderThanSirens who beta'd for me until her load got too heavy to keep up with my silliness. I hope you're doing well. I miss you.**

**PLEASE check out my new story, The Life and Death of Isabella Swan. It's going to start posting in the new year. It something, I venture to guess, you've never read in FanFiction. I hope you will join me and love it as much as I do.**


	20. OUTTAKE  The Missing Two Years

**SOOOO... here you go my lovlies! This outtake was written for the Pretty In Pink compliation. Please PLEASE read the author note at the bottom.**

~*SIML*~

OUTTAKE – The Missing Two Years

**BPOV**

Our first six months in Chicago were amazing. I took a job with Edward at Evanson Enterprises but insisted that I work my way up through the company, not just show up as the boss' girlfriend. I proved my worth and moved quickly to an upper management position.

Edward's aunt and uncle were amazing. Though she'd recently had a stroke, Carmen was able to get most of her mobility back. She still felt fatigued but was determined not to be a burden. Eleazer was a riot. I quit counting the amount of times he'd tried to convince Edward to change the name of the company. Edward was determined to leave it as-is. He was worried that their clients might get upset when Eleazer stepped down and Edward took over – they didn't. His clients trusted him and his decisions. All-in-all the transition was smooth. I still felt a little embarrassed at how much of a fight I put up with myself about coming to Chicago. Edward was right. I did love it. His aunt and uncle became like second parents to me – us. We'd spend at least two nights a week with them, eating, playing cards, anything to just spend time with them. Edward had missed them when he left Chicago after college.

We spent our first Thanksgiving and Christmas together in Chicago. I loved it. Carmen and Eleazer opened their home to us and the four of us spent each holiday together. Though she was limited in the kitchen due to her weakness, Carmen always insisted on helping with dinner. Not that I objected. I loved her company.

Edward and I rang in the New Year alone, bundled up together in bed.

One cold Sunday in January Edward and Eleazer made plans to look for a new car for Eleazer. He wanted to downsize from his SUV to a smaller sedan – something that Carmen could easily get in and out of without hassle. I hadn't seen them in over a week – our schedules never really lined up. Carmen would have a doctor's appointment or I would end up working late. She assured me over the phone several times that she was fine, just routine visits. Since I hadn't made other plans I decided to surprise her by picking up some of her favorite hot tea and bagels for breakfast.

When the housekeeper greeted me at the door instead of Carmen, I became worried. I made my way to her bedroom and found her half asleep and too warm to the touch. She gave me a weak smile and asked me to sit with her.

It was then that she finally told me about her doctor's visits. Her Oncologist. She had pancreatic cancer. To say I was shocked would be an understatement. She seemed fine to me – except for being weak every now and again. But her weakness wasn't due to the stroke, it was the cancer. She apologized for keeping it from us, but didn't want to burden our "young lives" with such sadness. They had known since her stroke but weren't ready to share with anyone until now. She explained that Eleazer was with Edward, explaining the same thing to him. They felt it would be easier if it was one on one. I didn't understand their reasoning not to tell us together but I accepted it. We talked a long time about it. She knew the statistics but vowed to be her own walking miracle. She'd kick this thing…but down deep we all knew what the outcome would be. She had approximately 12-18 months.

In the beginning it seemed everything was going well. They discussed several treatment options but decided to go with the more traditional route of chemo therapy and radiation. She took it all like a trooper. Edward and I made sure to spend more time with them as a family. They had never had children, so they always treated Edward like a surrogate son.

The treatments would be starting soon and the doctors wanted her "healthy". I made it my personal job to be sure she had a hot, healthy meal every night. Edward didn't complain; in fact, he encouraged it. He and Eleazer grew closer as Carmen and I became nearly inseparable.

Within six months it became obvious that her health was declining rapidly. The doctors threw her into intense treatments, trying a radical approach. We were afraid that the treatments would kill her before the cancer had the chance. She had lost so much weight so fast, it was a little more than scary. At her last weigh in, she was only eighty-eight pounds. Her five foot four inch frame handled the weight loss well enough – or so I had thought. She wore yoga pants one afternoon during one of my weekend visits when I noticed something concerning. Not only could I see her hip bones from the front…but from the back too. It took Edward more than an hour to calm me down when I finally made my way home that night.

~*SIML*~

It was a windy Sunday morning in June when I tried to help Carmen with her morning routine of bathing, redressing and styling her hair just-so. That day nearly broke my heart. While brushing her hair, Carmen pulled out a large clump. She cried but I think I cried harder. It had to be hard being in her shoes and I wished there was something I could do to help her. I had never felt so helpless.

Once our tears dried, she allowed me to cut her hair and then shave her head. She said she didn't want to watch it slowly fall out. She wanted to do it in one fell swoop. I took my time cutting her long, caramel hair into a short, misshaped ball until I brought the shaver to her head and buzzed it so low it was nothing but stubble…soft stubble.

She looked beautiful.

I was happy to help her in the task but still felt like there was something else I could do. It took me less than a week to figure out what it was.

~*SIML*~

I had waited until Edward and Eleazer left for their Sunday morning breakfast together. I knew he'd be upset with my decision but it was something I had thought and thought about. I wanted to show my support for Carmen and couldn't think of doing anything else.

Edward knew that his uncle needed a bit of a break and decided to start a Sunday morning routine of treating him to breakfast at their favorite mom and pop diner. Carmen was resting after our own light breakfast. She rarely got out of the bed anymore but always insisted that we share breakfast in the breakfast nook in her kitchen.

I pulled my hair into a loose ponytail and took a long look at myself in the mirror. The woman looking back at me could have used a little sleep herself. I chose to use Carmen's bathroom because it had everything I needed. The long walk back up the stairs zapped a lot of energy from her so early in the day, so I used it as my opportunity.

With a sigh, I brought the scissors to the top of the rubber band and started chopping. I had to blink around the tears that were swimming in my eyes. By the time I finished using the scissors my hair looked like a short, choppy mess.

_Half way done._ Miss Responsible encouraged.

I'd grown to love her and take some of the things she said in stride. She and Miss Carefree were finally able to see eye to eye on some things. Since then, it was rare that I'd hear from either of them unless it was something they were passionate about. It was oddly Responsible Bella egging me on in this venture. I couldn't disagree with her. It was the least I could do for Carmen.

I pulled the shaver from the drawer and plugged it in. I flipped the "on" switch to test the weight in my hands before turning it off and giving it one last, long look. I'd used it on Carmen but shaving your own head was a little different.

I turned it back on and watched in the mirror as my hand moved higher and higher.

"Bella," Carmen gasped from the doorway. Her voice startled me and caused me to drop the shaver. I heard it crash against the sink but couldn't look away from her reflection in the mirror.

"Bella, dear, what are you doing? What have you done?" She stepped closer and ran her skinny fingers through what was left of my hair. "Oh, Bella," she whispered with sadness in her voice.

I immediately turned toward her and burst into tears. She pulled me into her embrace and held me as if I were her own child. She shushed and rocked me while I cried into her boney shoulder. We moved into her bedroom after I had settled down enough to explain to her what I was trying to do.

We lay side back side on her bed while I explained that I wanted to do something to show her my support…show her I cared.

"Oh baby girl, you show me your support every single time you're here. In every breakfast you make…every time you hold me tighter while walking up stairs…every time you put another blanket over me before you leave…every kiss on my forehead when you think I'm asleep…and with every single smile you give me."

I smiled sadly.

"None of that, Isabella Swan." She caressed my cheek with her cold hand. "Don't you dare be sad for me. I've lived my life and lived it to the fullest. Eleazer and I fell in love young and fast. It was a whirlwind from the time we met until the time I got sick. We've traveled the world together and made love in the most wild of places," she said with a wicked smile. I blushed at the thought of her and Eleazer together the way Edward and I were. If their relationship was anything like mine and Edward's I couldn't feel sorry for her. She _had_ known what it was like to love wholeheartedly.

She continued with her little pep talk with a gleam in her eye.

"I have the best of friends and an even better family." She smiled reverently at me. "You, my dear, are a Godsend and I thank Him every day for you. Had we been able, I believe you are exactly what I would have wanted in a child…a daughter. You are sweet and kind and intelligent and passionate. I call myself lucky to have known you, even if for such a short time."

She commanded in a motherly tone. "I want you to be happy for me. I will be leaving here soon but will always be here." She pressed her hand against my heart and I closed my eyes to hold my tear back. It was a bittersweet heart-to-heart. When I opened my eyes I saw her own eyes swimming with unshed tears. "I love you, my dear-heart, and want you to be happy. When I'm gone I want you to go and live your life. You and Edward are so perfect for each other and deserve to live a long, happy life together as Eleazer and I have. You two go and get married and travel the world. Make love in crazy places. Swim naked together, even when you know you'll get caught. Come home often and love the one's who should be proud to call you their friend. You and Edward go and have lots and lots of beautiful, chubby babies."

Her silliness made giggle. Even while she lay there sick and dying, she had a way about her. She was able to bring me out of my nasty funk and make me giddy with thoughts of mine and Edward's future together. I could hardly wait for those things.

"So…don't you feel sad for me, Bella," she whispered sweetly. "I want you to remember the times we spent together as happy times. No sadness."

I nodded in agreement, hoping like hell I'd be able to keep my word.

"Now…what on earth are we going to do about this hair of yours?"

~*SIML*~

Carmen died about six months after my hair fiasco. I remember giggling as she took it upon herself to "fix" my hair. But there was no fixing it. She called her old stylist who came over right away after Carmen explained what I had done. We laughed through the entire haircut.

The first month after her death was probably the hardest for all of us. I slipped into a bit of a depression right after her death and let my health decline as well. But remembering the words she shared with me -not long before she was too sick to do much of anything for herself- were always in the forefront of my mind. I wanted to live my life to the fullest. I wanted to live my life like Carmen lived her life. Happy, energetic and with no regrets.

Eleazer - being the upbeat man he always was- took it upon himself personally to remind us that Carmen wouldn't have wanted us to be sad for too long. And he was right. We tried to settle into a new routine, without Carmen. Edward and Eleazer still had their Sunday morning breakfast but insisted that we start living our life together.

~*SIML*~

"Come away with me," Edward whispered in my ear from behind as I tried to get some work finished for the weekend. I closed my eyes and shivered at the feel of his lips against my ear and the heat of his breath across my neck. I signed as he kissed his way down my neck.

"Where to?" I whispered.

"It's a surprise," he replied in a husky voice.

Responsible Bella would have had to think long and hard about how to answer Edward. She was a planner and last minute plans were a "no, no". But now? Now I thought about Carmen's words of wisdom and remembered the silent vow I'd made. I would live my life to the fullest. I would live and love with my whole heart and not be afraid of the outcome. I'd simply live.

I nodded. "Yeah, let's get away."

~*SIML*~

**VERY IMPORTANT NOTE:**

**So Mandy came to me and asked if I'd like to join in her effort to raise money for cancer research. She knew what my response would be! Of course it was "YES". For those of you who do not know me and my family's story please stay tuned. My brother is married and has three beautiful girls. At the age of 27 (days before his 28th birthday) he had a seizure that sent him to the hospital. We have a history of epilepsy so we figured it had something to do with that. The doctors did several scans which found a 4cm tumor in his brain. After several arguments, doctors visits and prayers he had the surgery to have it removed. His tumor is called an anaplastic astrocytoma. Basically it has tentacles that grow into any nook and cranny it can find. The doctors removed the tumor and treated the remaining pieces with radiation and chemotherapy. The surgery went as good as could be expected when a doctor cuts a huge horseshoe shaped incision into someone's head. It's been five years since his surgery and five years since any scans have shown a tumor in his brain. We are beyond thankful to have him still with us today but do not and will not rest alone in that. He continues regular visits to his oncologist and has recently had another clear scan. We pray that it doesn't return in the hope that he and his family can have a long, healthy life together. So, THANK YOU for donating to this cause. It's very near and dear to my heart.**


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